Under the framework of the year, a series of measures will be taken to make sure that parents play their roles and assume responsibilities to protect children from violence. The year would also see more cooperation between government and non-government organizations, according to the government's press office.

"We need to listen to the voices of our children in order to help them in any situation. Parents should be the closest friends of their children", Mongolia's Minister of Labor and Social Protection Sodnom Chinzorig said.

At the event, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry Mr Ch.Ulaan, MP and Head of the Mongolian Food Producers’ Association Mr D.Terbishdagva, UN Food and Agriculture Organization Resident Representative Mr Vinod Ajuha and Ambassador of the European Union to Mongolia Mr Traian Laurentiu Hristea gave presentations on the development of milk industry and strategies and policies to be implemented in the future.

Mongolia’s processed liquid milk production has been on the rise year by year, amounting to 33.4 million litres in 2017 and 38.2 million litres in 2018. This is thanks to Mongolian companies’ actions of developing intensive farming, improving their partnerships with herders and farming businesses as well as the outcomes of the government’s policies and actions and activities undertaken within the Mongolian Livestock National program and the First Meat and Milk Campaign.

Moreover, during the event, an exhibition of national producers including Suu JSC, Vitafit Milk LLC, Khaan Milk LLC and TESO corporation took place.

At the first stage, it is intended to develop metallurgy, machinery industry, oil refinery, deep coal processing and chemical industry. It is estimated that by 2026, the income from heavy industrial sector to the state budget will increase, creating over 5000 jobs

At the beginning of the meeting, President Kh.Battulga expressed his pleasure with meeting the ambassadors and delegates again and extended greetings on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and the EU.

The ambassadors raised questions concerning the President’s state visit to the People’s Republic of China, the Belt and Road initiative, and recent developments in the domestic legal system and discussed in depth about the diversification of the Mongolian economy.

For instance, President Battulga highlighted the announcement made by President Xi Jinping during his visit that China was looking to develop as an importer nation, while expressing his view that it would create an opportunity of increased export for neighboring Mongolia. President Battulga shared his vision on Mongolia’s export potentials, especially in the sectors of agriculture and tourism, and the possibility of exporting value-added products originating from these sectors to China and the surrounding region.

President Battulga spoke about the substantial opportunities for Mongolia to export goods to the EU market and its neighbor countries by promoting cooperation based on not only agriculture, the traditional economic sector of Mongolia, but also the processing industry, and introducing and adopting advanced technology, know-how, and expertise from European countries.

The ambassadors expressed their readiness to explore the possibilities of broadening cooperation in these areas. In this regard, the sides discussed and reached an understanding on the matter of organizing an extended-format joint meeting with entities next fall, with the purpose of improving connectivity between Mongolian companies and EU entities and investors and increasing export opportunities.

The ambassadors expressed interest in and discussed the Northeast Asia Energy Super Grid Project, an initiative of President Battulga.

At the end of the meeting, President Battulga expressed his confidence that the ambassadors will pay close attention to the strengthening of bilateral relations and cooperation and wished success in their duties.

In Mongolia, there has not been a detailed survey of rare elements that would meet fiscal requirements. Mongolia was only an observer in the last few years and is now trying to compete in this market. Mongolia has 71 deposits and 300 mineralized reserves with rare earth minerals reserve, including Khalzan Buregtei, Luugiin Gol, Mushgai Khudag, Tsagaan Chuluut, and Khotgor.

Regardless of the review from the World Bank, further analysis of the rare earth geological survey on the territory of Mongolia are required, highlighted experts of the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry (MMHI). The Mineral Resource and Petroleum Authority of Mongolia (MRPAM) reported that the operation in the Khalzan Buregdei deposit has commenced and the feasibility study of another one in Myangad soum, Khovd province has been approved.

During the meeting of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), a major forum of the world mining sector held in early March, the Government of Mongolia introduced the new policy to international investors for the first time. Mongolia expressed its intention in attracting investment in rare earth elements, such as uranium, aside from the traditional raw materials, including gold, copper, and coal. The participating investors at the PDAC displayed interest in the initiative.

The MMHI has recently announced its plan to intensify the exploration of rare-earth elements in cooperation with Germany. Last week, Mongolian and German intergovernmental working groups have discussed and the sides considered to work in the field of the rare earth elements. Also, Japan has been expressing its interest in exploring rare earth elements in Mongolia.

The top executive stressed that the Russian energy major expects formal arrangements on the issues to be reached in the near future.

The Power of Siberia is a 4,000km (2485 miles) long pipeline which is aimed at delivering natural gas from the Russian region of Yakutia to Primorsky Krai and then to Asia. Gazprom, which is constructing the Russian part of the pipeline, is planning to export 38 billion cubic meters of the blue fuel to China by 2025.

Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) signed a 30-year contract for gas supplies via the Power of Siberia in 2014. Last September, the Russian firm reported the pipeline running from Yakutia’s gas production centers to the Chinese border, was almost complete.

Construction on the Chinese side started in April 2017, and is reportedly close to completion. The pipeline is expected to start operating in December 2019.

Earlier this year, Gazprom announced plans to invest $2.24 billion in the project. Moreover, the company intended to invest $4.8 billion into the Amur gas processing plant which is expected to receive gas from production centers in Irkutsk and Yakutia as part of the Eastern Gas Program.

The Russian energy corporation is pursuing an ambitious goal to become China’s biggest supplier, accounting for more than 25 percent of gas imports by 2035 as the country’s demand for natural gas continuously increases. China is the world’s largest importer of oil and second-biggest buyer of natural gas.

Initially, in 2009, the Ministry of Road, Transport, Construction and Urban Development of Mongolia and Tianjin Municipal People's Government established a memorandum on China leasing 10 hectares of land of Dongjiang Free Trade Port Zone in Tianjin to Mongolia for 50 years on very soft terms to support Mongolia’s access to sea. Then in May 2018, the memorandum was re-established as the Mongolian Minister of Road and Transport Development, Chinese Transport Minister, and Head of the Tianjin Municipal People's Government agreed that the document has to be enriched, revised, and aligned with the ‘Steppe Road’ and ’Development Road’ programs of Mongolia and ‘Belt and Road’ initiative of China.

The sides also decided to build a transport and logistics center on the aforementioned 10 ha of land and the construction work will begin in July. Thus, the project, which has been stalled over a decade, is now moving forward and it will play a key role for Mongolia in having access to sea and further making its way to third markets through seaports.

The well site work had commenced at the Heron 1 location and was expected to be completed within 10 days.

The site construction contractor would then move to the Gazelle 1 location and from there to Red Deer 1.

All three sites were expected to be complete by the end of June.

The work was being carried out by the same construction contractor that successfully prepared the sites for the company's 2018 drilling campaign.

A contractor had been chosen to drill two water supply wells, one for operations at Heron and Gazelle and one for Red Deer.

The contractor would mobilise to Heron in early June.

Permitting, procurement activities and rig preparations were progressing well, ahead of the exploration drilling campaign, the company said.

'The DQE rig has completed its pre-move testing and certification and the required electrical upgrade is expected to be completed in the first week of June,' it added.

Petro Matad said it continued to target an early July spud date for the Heron well with the Red Deer well expected to spud in the second half of July.

Drilling of the Gazelle well will immediately follow Heron, after a short rig move.