ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT KHALTMAAGIIN BATTULGA AT THE EXPANDED-FORMAT MEETING OF THE SCO COUNCIL OF THE HEADS OF MEMBER STATES
“Your Excellency, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov,
Your Excellencies, Heads of Delegation,
Ladies and Gentlemen, and Dear Friends!
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Your Excellency, Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, for the warm reception and hosting the regular Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. I am pleased to visit the Kyrgyz Republic, a close ally of the Mongolian people that shares a long-standing historical and cultural bond with Mongolia.
I would like to stress that the Kyrgyz Republic, during its presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, made active efforts towards broadening cooperation within the organization.
Ladies and Gentlemen, and Dear Friends,
Mongolia seeks to participate actively and productively in the multilateral political and economic process in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, Mongolia has always attached value to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization which is developing as a mechanism with a significant role in ensuring regional stability and security and expanding regional cooperation in economy and other spheres.
An indication of that is the regular participation of the head of state of Mongolia in the summit, and I am attending the summit for the second time as President of Mongolia. Furthermore, Mongolia has been actively participating in the other multilateral meetings and events that are organized within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Previously, I informed Your Excellencies that Mongolia was closely studying the possibilities of upgrading the level of its participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and that a discussion had been launched in the political and social circles. As to the question of Mongolia joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the public opinion is divided in Mongolia.
I welcome the formulation of the Roadmap for the Development of Interaction of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Secretariat with Observer States and Dialogue Partners for the medium term, and plans to revise the Regulations for Observer Status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and further expand ties with Member States and Observer States.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Developing ties and cooperation with regional countries and partaking in the regional economic integration with the best possible outcome have always been a priority direction of our foreign policy. We believe that ensuring security in Northeast Asia is important to intensifying cooperation and reinforcing sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. A few days ago, Mongolia successfully hosted the Sixth International Conference of Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security. I am pleased to inform Your Excellencies of the development of the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security initiative as an open mechanism that discusses a wide range of matters, including regional security, energy, infrastructure network, green development, and humanitarian cooperation opportunities; ensures participation of all the sub-regional countries; and widely engages government officials as well as scholars and experts.
One of the key issues on the agenda of the conference was regional energy cooperation. With its vast energy potentials, Mongolia offers an optimal solution for cost-efficient energy production. During the Fourth Eastern Economic Forum that was held in September, 2018, in Vladivostok, the Russian Federation, I proposed the establishment of a mechanism to implement the Northeast Asian Super Grid project. We believe that regional cooperation mediums play a vital role in maintaining regional peace and increasing mutual trust.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mongolia has always paid close attention to the productive and mutually beneficial solution of our cooperation with Member and Observer States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, especially our neighbors, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, in the spheres of infrastructure, economy, investment, trade, and transit transport. On the sidelines of this Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, the presidents of Mongolia, Russia, and China will hold their Fifth Tripartite Meeting and discuss the future directions in trilateral cooperation. I am sure that further intensification of trilateral cooperation and progress made in certain areas, including railway, road transport, natural gas, and integrated energy grid, will not only give impetus to the participating countries, but also help strengthen cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Mongolia has recently launched a railway infrastructure development project to build 500 km railway in both east and west directions from the Central Railway Corridor. We plan to continue the railway construction for over a thousand kilometer to the Burgastai Port in western Mongolia and connect to the Laoye Miao Port in Xinjiang Uyghur, China. In other words, it will open the doors for You to enter the East Asian market, which constitutes a significant part of the global economy, through the territory of Mongolia.
We are working towards opening shortcuts to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from Khovd Aimag, which is situated 1,400 km from Ulaanbaatar, and initially transporting halal meat. With the use of these shortcuts, Mongolia can transport mutton and other goods to Central Asian countries.
Within the scope of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Mongolia is interested in working with You in many spheres, including energy, infrastructure, transit transport, mining, heavy industries, agriculture, culture, education, health, environment, disaster prevention, disaster prevention and risk reduction, and anti-terrorism actions. Furthermore, we will unify our efforts and make our contribution to the cause pursued by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which is for regional peace, security, prosperity of the nations, and the well-being of the people.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate the President of Russia on assuming the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and wish success.
Thank you for the attention.”
