Russia to expand military-technical cooperation with Mongolia www.tass.com

ULAN BATOR, October 18. /TASS/. Russia will expand military-technical cooperation with Mongolia, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Thursday.

Japan, North Korea intelligence officials held secret meeting in October in Mongolia www.japantimes.com

A top Japanese intelligence official close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a secret meeting with North Korean counterparts in early October in Mongolia, sources familiar with bilateral ties said Thursday.

The meeting in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator could be consistent with Abe’s stated desire to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after he received assurances about progress on the long-standing issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.

Among major countries dealing with the North Korean nuclear threat, Japan is the only one to have been kept at arm’s length since Kim began a string of diplomatic engagements this year. In addition to holding talks with Chinese, South Korean and U.S. leaders, Kim plans to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin by the end of the year.

During his visit to Mongolia from around Oct. 6 to 8, Shigeru Kitamura, who heads Japan’s Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, met with North Korean officials, including a senior figure from the United Front Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, according to the sources.

The department is an intelligence organ mainly focused on South Korean affairs.

Admitting that the meeting took place, a senior Japanese government official told Kyodo News that “I heard they discussed how the abduction issue should be solved between Japan and North Korea.”

It is believed that the contact between intelligence authorities representing Tokyo and Pyongyang is the first of its type in about three months.

Kitamura met with Kim Song Hye, head of the United Front Department’s tactical office, in Vietnam in mid-July.

The latest revelation sheds light on Abe’s increased reliance on behind-the-scenes communications with North Korea, using intelligence authorities rather than the Foreign Ministry.

His approach seems to be similar to that of U.S. President Donald Trump, who mainly employed the Central Intelligence Agency to set the stage for his first summit with the North Korean leader in Singapore in June.

Japan has sounded out North Korea about its plan to open a liaison office in Pyongyang in the hope of resolving the abduction issue, sources with knowledge of the matter said earlier this month.

Japan officially lists 17 nationals as having been abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s but alleges their involvement in many more disappearances. Five of the 17 were repatriated in 2002.

So far, it has been learned that Pyongyang, reversing an earlier claim, unofficially told Tokyo that one of the 17 abductees, Minoru Tanaka, had actually entered North Korea.

Kitamura, a former head of the National Police Agency’s intelligence department, might have discussed during the October meeting how to confirm the whereabouts of Tanaka and other abductees.

The Japanese government has publicly withheld information both about Tanaka’s entry into North Korea and the recent meeting in Mongolia.

Kitamura, seen as a trusted confidant of Abe, gathers and analyzes information on both domestic and international affairs and reports to the prime minister, who has said North Korea’s nuclear, missile and abduction issues should be resolved altogether.

The United Front Department is headed by Kim Yong Chol, a vice chairman of the ruling party who is a close aide to the North Korean leader. Kim Yong Chol visited the United States in May as the country’s highest-ranking official to do so in nearly two decades.

Mongolia, Vietnam sign agreement on transfer of sentenced persons www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia and Vietnam have signed an agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons, the Mongolian Foreign Affairs Ministry said Thursday.

Credit Guarantee Fund helps finance 640 SMEs www.zgm.mn

Credit Guarantee Fund of Mongolia (CGF), in cooperation with the Bloomberg TV Mongolia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), held Credit Guarantee System for Future Development of SME forum yesterday to present the outcomes of ADB-supported project “Supporting the Credit Guarantee System for Economic Diversification and Employment Project (SCGS)”. It has been six years since the Parliament approved the Law on CGF. This allowed more access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) as CGF has made about MNT 76.8 billion a guarantee to a total of USD 164.4 billion loans of over 640 private entities since 2013. As of today, the repayment rate stands at 68 percent of the total outstanding loans. Last year, the ADB launched a USD 60 million worth loan project SCGS to provide new financing guarantee products for the CGF, making it easier for smaller businesses to source long-term funds from banks.

Mongolian PM plans to visit Russia by end of the year www.news.mn

The much-delayed visit of Mongolian Prime Minister to Russia is expected to happen by the end of the year. According to Mongolian Foreign Minister D.Tsogtbaatar, the final dates of the visit ought to be fixed with Moscow.

Businessmen of Azerbaijan and Mongolia agree on cooperation www.azernews.az

The preliminary agreements on cooperation between the business circles of Mongolia and Azerbaijan have been reached, the Director of Neuron Technologies company Ismail Alekberov told Trend.

He stated that about 20 local export companies have taken part in a business forum organized as part of an export mission.

The Azerbaijani delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Economy Niyazi Safarov, who held meetings with the head of state and with the ministers of Mongolia.

“The business negotiations are continuing. The meetings held can be called fruitful. The proposed IT solutions have aroused great interest of the Mongolian colleagues. We can definitely say that the digital transformation process in this country is in its infancy. In Mongolia, many projects are expected to be implemented in the area of construction of “e-government”. It is possible that we will be able to apply the Azerbaijani model of the ASAN Service in this country," said Alekberov.

In addition, the head of the Neuron Technologies company said, the implementation of such major projects as "e-education", "e-health" and "e-agriculture" is also expected in Mongolia.

"Mongolia is a developing country in Central Asia and the Far East. The country pays special attention to the agricultural sector. Despite the fact that the country’s area is about 1.6 million square kilometers, the population of Mongolia slightly exceeds three million people. A lot of infrastructure projects are being implemented in Mongolia, and many countries are interested in being present in this market," Alekberov added.

He noted that Azerbaijan and Mongolia have established quite fruitful contacts and the meetings held within the framework of the export mission will only serve to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

“The day before, we held B2B meetings, a business forum, met with state authorities of Mongolia. The Neuron Technologies company offered its solutions in specific areas, in particular for agricultural sectors. For example, there are more than 60 million heads of cattle and small cattle in Mongolia. We proposed to introduce an animal identification system - Personal Identification System of Animals, which aroused the interest of our colleagues. In addition, we also offer solutions for the education sector, and the cooperation issues were discussed with the leadership of the IT association of Mongolia and with large IT companies of this country. We have been offered specific projects that will be implemented jointly," Alekberov said.

The export mission to Mongolia was organized through the Azerbaijan Export & Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO). During the visit of the mission to Ulan Bator, an Azerbaijan-Mongolia business forum was held. The meetings with officials of this country, as well as the B2B meetings between representatives of business entities of the two countries took place.

The parties discussed issues of expanding cooperation between entrepreneurs of Azerbaijan and Mongolia, the possibility of exporting Azerbaijani products to this country.

The export missions play an important role in expanding non-oil exports and promoting the domestic made products. To date, Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) has organized 13 export missions to 10 foreign countries-Germany, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Hungary, China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.

Exhibitions, organized by the state bring excellent results. National entrepreneurs took part in different international exhibitions-Gulfood 2017, Prowein, ANUGA, Worldfood Moscow 2017 and the International Exhibition of Wines and Alcoholic Beverages in Hong Kong to promote the brand.

This year the number of export missions that can be organized with the participation of Azerbaijani entrepreneurs in one calendar year has been increased from 10 to 25. Also, the number of international fairs and exhibitions, where a national stand can be presented with the participation of Azerbaijani businessmen was increased from five to ten.

Diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Mongolia were established in 1992. Relations and cooperation between two countries are expanding not only at the bilateral, but also at the international and regional levels.

GGGI supports MoU signing between China and Mongolia to promote collaboration of two countries in fields of energy efficiency www.gggi.org

Beijing, China, October 15 – As part of GGGI’s support to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) of Mongolia, framed in the MoU signed in March 2017, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Mongolia and China programs have facilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ERC of Mongolia and the National Institute of Standardization (CNIS) of the People’s Republic of China at the CNIS Changping Laboratory in Beijing today. The ERC and CNIS will collaborate in several areas, which include harmonizing relevant energy efficiency standards for electric appliances and equipment, exploring possibilities for setting up a joint testing laboratory, exchanging experiences, information and providing support.

This important step follows GGGI’s Knowledge Sharing (KS) event held in April 2018 in Beijing, PRC, which was intended to build the capacity of decision makers of the Ministry of Energy (MoE) , the ERC, the General Agency for Specialized Inspection and large energy companies through experience exchange on energy efficiency and ESCO development in Beijing. As a result of this engagement, the ERC has successfully laid the foundation of a structured cooperation with the Chinese National Institute of Standardization (CNIS), the National Energy Conservation Center (NECC) and the China Energy Management Companies’ Association (EMCA).

The MoU was signed by Mr. Tuvshinchuluun Erdenechuluun, State Commissioner of the ERC and Mr. Liu Hongsheng, President & Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of CNIS. Mr. A.Batzul, Counsellor of the Embassy of Mongolia to China also attended the MoU signing ceremony.

GGGI Mongolia Country Representative, Romain Brillie said that “As an intergovernmental organization, GGGI’s mandate is to facilitate the exchange of experience between its countries of operation at the benefit of the realization of their green growth agenda and Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement on climate change. Mongolia’s potential for improved energy efficiency is large, and Mongolia has laid the foundations of a favorable policy framework for energy efficiency projects to strive. This includes the design by the ERC, with our support, of an energy efficiency Standards and Labeling regulation for electrical appliances, which will soon be adopted. I believe this MoU is a first important step for Mongolia to step-up its efforts in supporting the adoption of more energy efficient appliances and I am delighted that the ERC and CNIS will collaborate in that direction in the future.

“I hope the MoU we sign today will facilitate a strong partnership between our two countries through ERC and CNIS. Working closely with Chinese government partners such as CNIS enables the ERC to enhance the development of energy efficiency and conservation in Mongolia, bringing the country energy sector to a new stage. This MOU is a result of hard work of both CNIS and ERC
staff as Mr. Liu Hongsheng mentioned. The MoU compliments our visit of April 2018 to the CNIS. Within framework of the Mongolian Law on Energy Efficiency and the National Energy Efficiency Action Program, the ERC is happy to learn more from the CNIS’s experiences of implementing the energy efficiency policy in the country takng into account that China is large importer of electric appliances to Mongolia” said Mr. E. Tuvshinchuluun, the State Commissioner of the ERC of Mongolia.

Mr. Liu Hongsheng, President & Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of CNIS said “During the visit from the MoE, ERC and other government delegates to the CNIS in April of this year, we acknowledged that two countries have common agenda in regards of the energy efficiency policy implementation, and its standards and labeling for electric appliances. I am happy to see that within only 6 months, we are signing the MoU of collaboration with ERC today. We are sure that it will be laying out very solid foundation for our cooperation in the future. We are thankful for GGGI for their facilitation and support to making this wonderful collaboration of China and Mongolia to happen”.

Another MoU of Cooperation is planned to be signed between ERC and the National Energy Efficiency Center of the People’s Republic of China by end 2018, for which GGGI is also providing direct facilitation.

About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
Based in Seoul, GGGI is an intergovernmental organization that supports developing country governments transition to a model of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. GGGI delivers programs in 27 partner countries with technical support, capacity building, policy planning & implementation, and by helping to build a pipeline of bankable green investment projects.

About the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC)
The ERC regulates generation, transmission, distribution, and dispatching and supply of the energy pursuant to the Law on Energy. Also, ERC is responsible for implementation of state policies and other legal acts on Energy Conservation according to the Law on Energy Conservation (www.erc.gov.mn).

The Government of Mongolia identified its policy on Energy conservation and recently adopted the Law on Energy Conservation in 2015 and the National Action Plan of the Energy Efficiency (NEEAP) in 2017 respectfully. Within frameworks to implement the Law on Energy Conservation and other relevant legal acts, the ERC is aiming to develop cooperation between Mongolia and China on energy conservation, including investment made to the energy conservation and identify potential areas of collaboration.

ERC is one of major counterparts of GGGI Mongolia in implementing Sustainable Energy Program in the country under the MoU signed between ERC and GGGI signed in March 2017.

About the China National Institute of Standardization
The China National Institute of Standardization (known as the Institute of Standardization of the State Science and Technology Commission when set up in 1963) is directly subordinate to General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ). As a national social service institution dedicated to standardization researches, it mainly addresses the global, strategic and comprehensive standardization issues in national economy and social development of China.
Currently, CNIS has over 500 employees, including research fellows and doctor degree-holders and its researches mainly involve the standardization development strategy, basic theories, principles and approaches, and standards systems.

Mongolia receives 500,000 USD in humanitarian aid from Kazakhstan www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan has provided 500,000 U.S. dollars in humanitarian aid to Mongolia, the Mongolian government press office said Wednesday.

DBM raises bonds without Mongolian government guarantee www.news.mn

The Development Bank of Mongolia (DMB) successfully raised bonds worth of USD 500 million on 16 October without any government guarantee. The bank received offerings from international investors for buying the bonds worth of USD 4.1 billion; eight times higher than the bank’s issuance.

Minister denies Rosneft rumour www.news.mn

Several unconfirmed reports have stated that Rosneft has expressed interest in entering the Mongolian market due to higher fuel prices. However, Minister of Mining and Heavy Industries D.Sumiyabazar, denied the claim at the meeting of the Parliamentary Economic Standing Committee on Wednesday, 17 October According to the minister, Mongolia currently has 107 thousand tonnes of fuel reserves.