President of Mongolia and Governor-General of Australia Hold Official Talks
President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Samantha Mostyn held an official meeting on September 5, 2025.
During the meeting, the two Heads of State reviewed the achievements in bilateral relations and cooperation over the past 50 years, expressing their commitment to further expand and enrich these ties with new content. They affirmed their intention to deepen cooperation across a wide range of sectors, including education, mining, and agriculture. Both sides praised the development of relations under the framework of an “Expanded Partnership” since 2007 and reaffirmed the mutual goal of elevating the relations of the two countries to the level of a “Comprehensive Partnership” in the near future.
President Khurelsukh noted that the current visit, taking place more than 30 years after the last Governor-General-level visit, marks a new chapter in bilateral relations. He highlighted Australia as an important “third neighbour” that shares the core democratic values of Mongolia, such as human rights, freedom, and a market economy, and as a close partner in the Indo-Pacific region. The President emphasized the symbolic role of the Oyu Tolgoi project and the “Mongolia–Australia Minerals Cooperation Program” in refining Mongolia’s legal and regulatory environment in the mining sector, expanding business cooperation, and strengthening human resource capacity. He underscored the importance of increasing Australian investment in Mongolia and implementing joint projects and programs.
Governor-General Mostyn stressed that Australia attaches great importance to its relations and cooperation with Mongolia, a country sharing common democratic values. She noted with satisfaction that people-to-people ties and exchanges have been strengthening year by year, and expressed her delight that young Mongolians educated in Australia are making valuable contributions to their home country’s development. The sides discussed expanding cooperation in education, gradually increasing scholarship quotas, aligning with the “President’s Scholar 2100” Scholarship Program, facilitating Australian volunteer teachers to work in Mongolia, and implementing short- and medium-term training programs.
The two Heads of State agreed that, as nations with pastoral and farm-based livestock sectors, overcoming and addressing global challenges such as climate change, desertification, land degradation, and food security constitutes a shared objective. They discussed implementing joint projects and programs in this regard, including with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. They also exchanged views on opportunities for effective cooperation within the National Movements of Mongolia, such as “Billions of Trees,” “Food Supply and Security,” and “Healthy Mongolian.”
The two sides noted their active collaboration and mutual support within the United Nations and other international organisations and expressed commitment to further strengthening regional and international cooperation. In this context, President Khurelsukh extended an invitation for Australia to participate at a high level in the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, which will be held in Ulaanbaatar in 2026.
