{"id":5797,"slug":"address-by-president-khaltmaagiin-battulga-at-the-expanded-format-meeting-of-the-sco-council-of-the-heads-of-member-states","status":"publish","tags":[],"title":{"rendered":"ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT KHALTMAAGIIN BATTULGA AT THE EXPANDED-FORMAT MEETING OF THE SCO COUNCIL OF THE HEADS OF MEMBER STATES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cYour Excellency, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Excellencies, Heads of Delegation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ladies and Gentlemen, and Dear Friends! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I would like to stress that the Kyrgyz Republic, during its presidency\nof the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, made active efforts towards\nbroadening cooperation within the organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ladies and Gentlemen, and Dear Friends, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mongolia seeks to participate actively and productively in the\nmultilateral political and economic process in the Asia-Pacific region.\nTherefore, Mongolia has always attached value to the Shanghai Cooperation\nOrganization which is developing as a mechanism with a significant role in\nensuring regional stability and security and expanding regional cooperation in\neconomy and other spheres. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An indication of that is the regular participation of the head\nof state of Mongolia in the summit, and I am attending the summit for the\nsecond time as President of Mongolia. Furthermore, Mongolia has been actively\nparticipating in the other multilateral meetings and events that are organized\nwithin the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously, I informed Your Excellencies that Mongolia was\nclosely studying the possibilities of upgrading the level of its participation\nin the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and that a discussion had been\nlaunched in the political and social circles. As to the question of Mongolia\njoining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the public opinion is divided in\nMongolia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ladies and Gentlemen, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developing ties and cooperation with regional countries and partaking\nin the regional economic integration with the best possible outcome have always\nbeen a priority direction of our foreign policy. We believe that ensuring\nsecurity in Northeast Asia is important to intensifying cooperation and\nreinforcing sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. A few days ago,\nMongolia successfully hosted the Sixth International Conference of Ulaanbaatar\nDialogue on Northeast Asian Security. I am pleased to inform Your Excellencies\nof the development of the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security\ninitiative as an open mechanism that discusses a wide range of matters,\nincluding regional security, energy, infrastructure network, green development,\nand humanitarian cooperation opportunities; ensures participation of all the\nsub-regional countries; and widely engages government officials as well as\nscholars and experts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the key issues on the agenda of the conference was\nregional energy cooperation. With its vast energy potentials, Mongolia offers\nan optimal solution for cost-efficient energy production. During the Fourth\nEastern Economic Forum that was held in September, 2018, in Vladivostok, the\nRussian Federation, I proposed the establishment of a mechanism to implement\nthe Northeast Asian Super Grid project. We believe that regional cooperation mediums\nplay a vital role in maintaining regional peace and increasing mutual trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ladies and Gentlemen, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mongolia has always paid close attention to the productive and\nmutually beneficial solution of our cooperation with Member and Observer States\nof the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, especially our neighbors, the Russian\nFederation and the People\u2019s Republic of China, in the spheres of\ninfrastructure, economy, investment, trade, and transit transport. On the\nsidelines of this Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, the presidents of\nMongolia, Russia, and China will hold their Fifth Tripartite Meeting and\ndiscuss the future directions in trilateral cooperation. I am sure that further\nintensification of trilateral cooperation and progress made in certain areas,\nincluding railway, road transport, natural gas, and integrated energy grid,\nwill not only give impetus to the participating countries, but also help\nstrengthen cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mongolia has recently launched a railway infrastructure\ndevelopment project to build 500 km railway in both east and west directions from\nthe Central Railway Corridor. We plan to continue the railway construction for\nover a thousand kilometer to the Burgastai Port in western Mongolia and connect\nto the Laoye Miao Port in Xinjiang Uyghur, China. In other words, it will open\nthe doors for You to enter the East Asian market, which constitutes a\nsignificant part of the global economy, through the territory of Mongolia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are working towards opening shortcuts to Kazakhstan and\nUzbekistan from Khovd Aimag, which is situated 1,400 km from Ulaanbaatar, and\ninitially transporting halal meat. With the use of these shortcuts, Mongolia\ncan transport mutton and other goods to Central Asian countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the scope of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,\nMongolia is interested in working with You in many spheres, including energy,\ninfrastructure, transit transport, mining, heavy industries, agriculture,\nculture, education, health, environment, disaster prevention, disaster\nprevention and risk reduction, and anti-terrorism actions. Furthermore, we will\nunify our efforts and make our contribution to the cause pursued by the Shanghai\nCooperation Organization, which is for regional peace, security, prosperity of\nthe nations, and the well-being of the people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate the\nPresident of Russia on assuming the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation\nOrganization and wish success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thank you for the attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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