In 2025, Mongolia exported over 85,000 tons of meat and meat products www.open.kg

On Saturday, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mongolia reported that in 2025, the total volume of meat and meat product exports reached 85,400 tons, equivalent to $343.9 million.

The ministry states that the majority of the products were supplied to China, the UAE, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Mongolia is striving to diversify its economy, which largely depends on the mining sector, and is actively working to expand meat supplies to international markets.

As of the end of December 2025, 67 meat processing enterprises in Mongolia received special licenses for export.

According to the National Statistical Office, by the end of 2025, the livestock population in Mongolia reached 58.1 million heads.

Mongolia is home to about 30 million sheep — exceeding the number of sheep in New Zealand. However, until recently, the country exported only a small portion of its meat production. Mongolia hopes to change this situation by meeting the growing demand for halal lamb from countries like Iran, which need imports due to a lack of local production.

TMK Energy edges closer to gas flow milestone in Mongolia www.thewest.com.au/

TMK Energy has successfully navigated another milestone at its wholly owned Gurvantes XXXV coal seam gas (CSG) pilot well project in Mongolia.

The company’s latest pressure build-up tests at its Lucky Fox one and four wells, which were shut in for 14 and 8 days, respectively, have confirmed the reservoir pressure has continued to improve since earlier readings in November.

The latest numbers show that the upper coal seam water pressure is steadily declining towards the all-important critical desorption level required for gas to flow freely. Once enough water is pumped out, methane separates from the coal matrix, flipping the wells from water-dominated to gas-dominated outflow.

The transition represents a make-or-break stage for meaningful CSG production.

Notably, the observed pressure trends have lined up neatly with TMK’s updated reservoir simulation model, confirming the upper coal seam reservoir pilot project remains firmly on target to hit the targeted desorption pressure.

This is yet another key data point which demonstrates that the coals within our project area are being depressurised and that measurable progress is being made, which will ultimately deliver much higher gas rates once the desorption pressure is reached. A large body of technical work is nearing completion that clearly demonstrates how we see the development plan unfolding.

TMK Energy Chief Executive Officer Mr Dougal Ferguson
Adding further support to its progress, the company says this trend is almost a mirror image of other nearby wells, suggesting not only a quicker arrival at desorption but also that potential gas volumes are already sufficient to support a 2-5 megawatt power generation project this year.

The new data indicate TMK has made steady progress in de-risking the play as the company continues to drive its pilot program forward.

With results marking a solid step for TMK on its critical desorption journey and pressure trends closely tracking expectations from the company’s model, TMK appears poised to keep its momentum alive in Mongolia’s emerging CSG scene.

Asian Battery Metals Extends Mongolia Copper-Gold Acquisition Timeline www.

Mongolia home to 166 centenarians www.xinhuanet.com

 A total of 166 centenarians are living in Mongolia, including the oldest woman at the age of 108, according to data released by the country's National Statistics Office on Sunday.

The number of people aged 100 years or older increased by 7 compared to the same period last year, the statistical agency said.

Of the centenarians, 128 are female in the Asian country's 3.5 million population, it added.

The census was conducted on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year or Year of the Horse, known locally as the White Moon, which symbolizes the start of spring and the end of winter.

According to the lunar calendar, the White Moon this year begins on Feb. 18, which is also regarded as a traditional holiday to pay respect to seniors. During the holiday, the government traditionally sends gifts to people aged 100 years or older.

The British Ambassador visited the British Business Centre www.mongolianbusinessdatabase.com

Ms.Fiona Blyth, British Ambassador to Mongolia visited the British Business Centre in UB yesterday.

British Business Centre (BBC) LLC serves as a bridge for Mongolian–British business collaboration, offering B2B consulting built on the Mongolian Business Database project (NGO). We promote the entry and launch of internationally‑standard, high‑quality British products and services into the Mongolian market. BBC Mongolia partners with the Mongolian British Chamber of Commerce (www.mongolianbritishcc.org.uk) to advance this shared mission.

"The British Embassy in Mongolia reported that Ambassador Fiona Blyth visited the British Business Centre. She expressed her delight in meeting Ser‑Od Ichinkhorloo, founder of this important organisation — a bridge between Mongolian and British business — and they exchanged views on enhancing future cooperation."

The British Business Centre team sincerely appreciates Ms. Fiona Blyth, British Ambassador to Mongolia, and Mr. Elbegsaikhan Ayush, Head of DFIT at the Embassy, for visiting the BBC Mongolia office and our permanent full‑time business showroom and promotional centre for British businesses.

BBC Mongolia’s first British product to enter the Mongolian market is  LifePlan’s high‑quality vitamins and supplements, from one of the UK’s leading manufacturers. Sales begin next month. (Mongolian MRRA authority approved & registered)

British Business Centre
Ulaanbaatar Mongolia (baruun 4 zam)
www.britishbusinesscentre.com
management@britishbusinesscentre.com
Tel: 976 77552002

Uranium Neo-colonialism in Mongolia: Crime but No Punishment www.fpif.org

On a warm April 1st day last year, Budee Khekhee, head of local non-profit The Power of Unity for the Sake of Our Homeland, led a team into the Gobi Desert to investigate reports of a mysterious illness causing the death of wild and domestic animals, which he obtained from the local herders. A former resident who’d assisted his father’s veterinary work, Budee knew the terrain and knew authorities had ignored previous alarms.

In Zamyn Ud, they spotted numerous white-tailed gazelles lying on the ground, unable to get up, and twitching their legs convulsively. The activists livestreamed their discovery. “My heart was overwhelmed with despair,” Budee later testified. “I realized I couldn’t just abandon them here to die.”

Suspecting that the epidemic was caused by French uranium company Orano’s in-situ leach operations, he loaded four gazelles aboard a truck and drove to the corporation’s clinic gate, broadcasting on Facebook. Orano had built and was operating a veterinary clinic in the mining area. Budee didn’t trust them a lot, but he hoped that the staff would assist in rescuing the animals. Those hopes were dashed when, after two hours of standing outside the locked clinic doors, no one appeared, and the animals died. Left with little choice, the activists dissected the gazelles’ bodies and took tissue samples for independent analysis. They livestreamed their actions to Facebook.

For many Mongolian herders, resource neocolonialism is not an abstract concept. They have resulted in tangible losses, illness, and deaths. Descendants of the Mongol Empire now face uranium mining invaders. After the Soviets departed—leaving behind a legacy of toxic mining—the “clean” French uranium industry arrived, reproducing similar patterns of corruption while poisoning the land. At the same time, these colonialists have participated in the persecution of environmental activists.

Should they be held accountable before domestic and international communities?

The Revenge
In official reports, human rights defenders often refer to the persecution of activists as “unjust” or “disproportional punishment.” However, what happened in the case of the Mongolian herders was closer to pure revenge. Unidentified individuals made police reports accusing Khekhee of illegal hunting. He was subjected to repeated questioning for several months after the criminal investigation began.

The local prosecutor’s office then reclassified the matter as an administrative offense. The state’s Environmental Protection Office determined that Khekhee illegally pursued and killed four gazelles. They penalized him $1,200, a substantial sum for an average Mongolian. His July appeal was denied in full in September, but the court of first instance postponed the sentence for three months, thereby conceding that the case lacked merit.

Neither the investigation nor the court determined why Budee Khekhee allegedly needed to kill the gazelles. However, a local journalist discovered the “motive,” writing in August 2025 that it was done “to mislead the public about the consequences of uranium mining by the joint Mongolian-French enterprise ‘Badrakh Energy’ LLC.”

Prosecution for Independent Dosimetry
The unexplained illnesses and deaths of animals, a desert veterinary clinic run by a uranium mining corporation, and its attempts to ignore the troubling facts are perplexing. Especially when combined with the absurd accusation of poaching directed at an environmental activist whose action was widely livestreamed. When connected to other similar events, a pattern emerges.

In mid-August 2025, the same non-profit invited Russian nuclear physicist Andrey Ozharovskiy to conduct dosimetry measurements. Their focus on radioactive pollution was encouraged by groundwater assessments, which had revealed high uranium and arsenic levels in the area. Ozharovskiy, who had extensive experience in identifying radioactive sources, agreed to come. He entered Mongolia legally with his dosimetry and spectrometry equipment for “business purposes.”

On August 15–17, activists drove him along dirt roads in the Gobi Desert to Orano’s pilot ISL uranium extraction wells, where locals reported trucks carrying pregnant solution or liquid waste. It didn’t take the Russian expert long to discover three dried-up puddles emitting gamma radiation 20-50 times above background levels. Spectrometry identified uranium decay products—radium-226, bismuth-214, and lead-214, which, according to Ozharovskiy, was consistent with mining spills rather than natural radiation. The activists published their finding on social media, and this is how the Mongolian authorities learned about the expedition.

The group later traveled across Mongolia along similar dirt roads to Maradai. On August 19, while measuring radiation near abandoned Soviet mining sites, the group was detained by a border officer and some people in plain clothes. According to the activists, the authorities used drones to spot them in the desert. After spending a day or two in several offices, Ozharovskiy was transferred to the Main Intelligence Directorate in Ulaanbaatar. There, after being questioned, he was told that he was suspected of espionage and immigration violations.

Although the authorities released Ozharovskiy, they took his passport so that he couldn’t leave the country. A few days later he was taken again, forced to admit administrative violations, including using unregistered dosimetry devices, and to pay a fine. Then they brought him to the border with Russia and expelled him without his belongings but with a 10-year entry ban. The local activists, meanwhile, have spoken of intimidation, police reporting requirements, smartphone searches, and non-disclosure agreements.

In the same days the Mongolian Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a formal statement, where accused Ozharovskiy of spreading false information about radiation background. Some media labeled the activists foreign agents undermining Franco-Mongolian projects in Russia’s interest.

A System That Favors Abuse and Distrust
Mongolian law prohibits radiation measurements using devices that haven’t been registered with the country’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission. After his first detention, Ozharovskiy donated some of his measuring devices to the non-profit. Activists brought them to the NRC but were denied certification with no clear explanation. The only reason provided, though invalid, was that the devices belonged to a Russian citizen.

The activists explained why they hadn’t registered the devices beforehand: they didn’t want authorities to know about their survey in advance. “If they knew about the devices, they wouldn’t let us measure anyway,” one activist said. “We don’t trust them,” Khekhee added.

This distrust is entirely justified given the broader context documented by prominent human rights organizations. Mongolia has earned a reputation for cracking down on critics and human rights defenders, particularly those challenging the mining industry. Amnesty International’s 2024 report documents that criticism of authorities and mining corporations has become effectively criminalized. According to the report Our Land, these corporations commit massive environmental violations, causing significant environmental pollution and deterioration of public health, and undermining traditional Mongolian livelihoods. To attract investors, Mongolian mining lobbyists even managed to pass corporate-friendly legislation. According to Our Land, in 2006 and again in 2013–2015 they weakened environmental safeguards, reducing water protection zones and allowing mining on private and even protected lands.

Another Face of the French Republic
According to Mongolian Mining Journal, in Dornogovi Aimag, where activists have been monitoring the environment and wildlife, the French corporations Areva and Orano have been exploring and extracting uranium since 1997. They use various local joint ventures and transfer licenses from one to another. The Orano Group claims that it started its so-called pilot uranium extraction via Badrakh Energy in Zuuvch Ovoo site only in 2021.

Orano has set a stark precedent, demonstrating that even lenient mining laws are no real constraint. According to activists, the company simply ignored the required environmental impact assessment for some of its ISL mining projects in Dornogobi Aimag. Coincidentally, Orano was also bribing officials to secure mining licenses during this same period. According to Energynews, the 2015 investigation uncovered €1.275 million in suspicious payments that Orano made to secure mining licenses in Mongolia through an intermediary, Eurotradia International. In December 2024, the president of the Paris Judicial Court ordered Areva to pay €4.8 million in a pre-trial settlement for bribing a foreign public official.

The Mongolian Anti-Nuclear Movement Golomt believes that between December 2010 and May 2011, another Orano subsidiary, Kojegobi, produced approximately 2.7 tons of yellow cake via what they call “experimental extraction” using a sulfuric ISL process. Since then, rural nomads have described dead and deformed livestock, contaminated water, and rising fear. “In every household, calves were being born with terrible deformities. This had never happened before on our land,” local herders complained in a 2012 petition signed by 767 people. In one area, the number of deceased domestic animals was 2,885 in 2010—the year of the yellow cake production—compared to 14 in 2008, 8 in 2009, and 207 in 2011. The government denied the connection with radioactive pollution and blamed “naturally occurring selenium and copper.” Orano echoed this line, stating that these elements were “neither used nor produced by our activities.”

According to Khekhee, Orano did not accomplish an EIA or feasibility study before starting pilot mining operations in 2012 in Dornogovi Aimag: “No groundwater study was conducted, no documents were discussed, no safety briefings or training were provided to the local population”.

No Punishment?
Mongolia is popular among those seeking cheap uranium because it is not a party to a number of international conventions. For example, Mongolia is only just preparing to join the UNECE Aarhus Convention, which upholds the right of citizens to receive information on environmental protection and participate in relevant decision-making. The convention also obligates countries not to persecute environmental activists.

France has been a full party to the convention since 2005, which means that the corporations under French jurisdiction are subject to the county’s obligations under the Aarhus Convention.

Using this fact, human rights defenders have reported to the Aarhus Convention’s Special Rapporteur about the persecution of activists in Mongolia investigating the activities of the French company Orano. The Special Rapporteur’s mechanism allows for expedited consideration of cases. It is reportedly now investigating the facts.

Will this investigation bring transparency and accountability to the activities of French foreign corporations operating in Mongolia? Or will such key elements of democracy perish like the poisoned gazelles in the Mongolian desert?

By Tatyana Ivanova
Tatyana Ivanova is an independent author and observer based in the United States who has covered political events and foreign policy in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus for nearly 25 years. 

Foreign Minister Battsetseg Meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio www.montsame.mn

During her visit to the United States of America, Minister of Foreign Affairs Battsetseg Batmunkh met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 5, 2026.

During the meeting, the two parties expressed their intention to reaffirm the Strategic Third Neighbor Partnership between Mongolia and the U.S. and deepen bilateral political trust.

Within this framework, the two sides stated their commitment to increasing the frequency of mutual high-level visits, strengthening the ties between the peoples of the two countries, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in the trade, economy, mining, energy, communications, and artificial intelligence sectors, and achieving tangible results.

In Mongolian-US relations, both sides noted that the second Compact agreement, being implemented in cooperation with the Millennium Challenge Corporation and aimed at increasing Ulaanbaatar’s water supply by 80 percent, holds a particularly important place. They also exchanged views on the successful implementation of the project, which is set to conclude in March of this year, and discussed the possibility of launching new projects and programs in other strategically important sectors of Mongolia in the future.

Kh.Nyambaatar: 50,000 households will switch to gas next year www.gogo.mn

Mayor Kh.Nyambaatar said the capital city plans to switch 50,000 households to gas next year as part of measures to reduce air pollution.

Within this year’s programme, 5,000 households in Bayangol and Chingeltei districts will be switched to gas and 33 gas filling points established. As of today, 905 households have already been converted and 15 gas filling points are operating; on average 90–100 households are being switched daily, the mayor said during an inspection of the 13th sub-district, Chingeltei district.

Mayor Kh.Nyambaatar said the capital city will also insulate 5,000 homes this year and, where households carry out their own insulation, the capital city will install gas equipment free of charge. Each household will receive two gas cylinders so one can be used while the other is refilled. The capital will also provide a subsidy of MNT 900,000 for households using gas during the heating season, for example, if a household uses MNT 2,000,000 of gas in winter, the city will cover MNT 900,000.

Local residents reported positive experiences. D.Tsolmon, a resident of 13th sub-district, said switching to gas “does not cause fires, produces no smoke or soot, keeps indoor temperature even, and includes a stovetop for cooking. Installers gave good instructions. For the first two months we get a discounted price: one cylinder costs MNT 39,000 and lasts 3–4 days, so two cylinders a week are typically enough.”

Governor of 13th sub-district G.Enkhtugs said more than 400 households in the sub-district have been insulated (191 gers, 297 houses) and 90 households have already switched to gas. He added that nearby filling stations keep turnaround low, a refill takes 1–2 minutes.

The Mayor also said this year’s roll-out focuses on Chingeltei and Bayangol districts, with Songinokhairkhan and Sukhbaatar districts scheduled for inclusion next year. He also noted he is temporarily using semi-coke and gas fuel, reiterating the long-term goal to free up land in ger districts and provide housing as part of pollution-reduction efforts.

Mongolia, China Hold Strategic Dialogue www.montsame.mn

The seventh Mongolia – China Strategic Dialogue was held in Ulaanbaatar on February 10, 2026.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on strengthening Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Mongolia and China, foreign policy positions, pressing international and regional issues, and a broad range of multilateral cooperation issues. They also held in-depth discussion on major joint projects and programs being co-implemented by the two countries, their progress, trade and economic cooperation and border port issues.

In addition, the parties exchanged views on high-level visits and events to be carried out in the near future, and mutually agreed to continue close cooperation.

The strategic dialogue was chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, Amartuvshin Gombosuren, and by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, Sun Weidong.    

TİKA-backed project establishes pediatric bone marrow transplant capacity in Mongolia www.azernews.az

As part of the comprehensive healthcare cooperation carried out between Türkiye and Mongolia, the first pediatric bone marrow (hematopoietic stem cell) transplant in Mongolia was successfully performed. This clinical procedure has been regarded as a significant milestone not only for the treatment process of a single child but also for establishing sustainable healthcare capacity in the field of pediatric bone marrow transplantation in the country.

With the support of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), a multi-center and international project was conducted in collaboration with Medical Park Bahçelievler Hospital, Altınbaş University, the TİKA Mongolia Program Coordination Office, the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Mongolia, the Mongolian Ministry of Health, Ulaanbaatar State Hospital No. 1, and the National Center for Maternal and Child Health. Within the scope of the project, preparations for a pediatric bone marrow transplant center in Mongolia were completed, healthcare teams were trained, technical and medical infrastructure was strengthened, and the clinical procedure was successfully carried out.

Mongolian healthcare professionals participating in the project gained the opportunity to provide qualified treatment services to pediatric patients in their own country thanks to the training they received in Türkiye. Prof. Dr. Tunç Fışgın, a specialist in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Medical Park Bahçelievler Hospital, made the following remarks regarding the project:

“This initiative represents a very important step toward establishing a permanent treatment capacity in the field of pediatric hematology and oncology in Mongolia. Conducting the clinical procedure together with trained local healthcare teams is of great importance for ensuring the sustainability of this service. Our goal is not only to contribute to the treatment of a single patient but also to ensure the lasting transfer of knowledge and experience.”

Emphasizing that international healthcare projects contribute not only to individual treatments but also to strengthening countries’ own healthcare systems, Prof. Dr. Fışgın stated, “Integrating Türkiye’s expertise in this field into Mongolia’s healthcare services will, in the long term, enable many children to receive treatment in their own country.”

A Mongolian physician participating in the project said, “The opportunity provided to us by TİKA is not just training; it means laying the foundations of a treatment capacity that has been lacking in our country. We are grateful to Türkiye and to TİKA.”

TİKA President Abdullah Eren also stated that the operation had been successfully completed and emphasized that Türkiye continues to share its healthcare knowledge and experience with friendly countries.

Highlighting that this initiative is not merely a medical operation but also a turning point for pediatric cancer treatment in Mongolia, Eren said: “For 15-year-old Miçidmaa, who has been battling leukemia for years in Mongolia, finding healing in her own homeland is a new source of hope for all our children. We want every child to find healing in their own country.”

Eren underlined that this effort represents not only a technical achievement but also one of the most humane manifestations of friendship and solidarity between Türkiye and Mongolia. “Miçidmaa’s renewed hold on life thanks to the first successful pediatric bone marrow transplant performed in the country is the most concrete evidence of this cooperation,” he said.

Eren further noted that, with TİKA’s support and the combined expertise of specialist physicians, the project ensured not only the successful completion of a single operation but also contributed to building sustainable capacity in pediatric cancer treatment in Mongolia. He stated that Miçidmaa’s recovery in her own country has opened a new door of hope for other children in Mongolia as well, and he thanked all stakeholders and healthcare professionals who contributed to the process.

Following the transplant, the pediatric patient was discharged in complete remission. At an official ceremony held in the Mongolian Parliament, the team involved in the project was awarded the “Order of Honor” by Mongolian Minister of Health Dr. Jigjidsuren Chinburen. Additionally, during a press conference attended by officials from the Mongolian Ministry of Health and administrators of the relevant hospitals, the importance of healthcare cooperation between the two countries was emphasized.