The delegations were led by L.Munkhtushig, Acting Head of the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, and N.M.Latynov, Deputy Head of the Consular Department of the MFA of Russia respectively. Representatives of Mongolian Embassy in Russia, Consulates General in Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk and Kyzyl were present at the meeting.

During the consultative meeting, the parties assessed bilateral relations and cooperation, exchanging views on the matters of protecting citizens' interests including elimination of barriers related to the entry of foreign nationals and permits to reside in the two countries, and agreed to take appropriate actions on those matters.

During the visit, Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh will sign agreements targeted to strengthening relations and cooperation as well as enhancing social and economic ties between the two countries.

It is worth noting that Foreign Minister D.Tsogtbaatar made a visit to Japan this February and during the visit, the Foreign Minister of Japan informed him that the Government of Japan decided to develop a Master Plan for value-added production development in Mongolia’s agricultural sector.

“The scale is impressive,” Putin told Gazprom’s CEO, Alexey Miller, as he joined the launching ceremony via a conference call on Wednesday.

The works on the key Arctic facility began in 2008, and the company managed to create a powerful industrial complex at the field as well as all necessary infrastructure, including a railroad and an airport. Two previous units began operations in 2012 and in 2014.

Gas production operations at the field are to continue at the facility for more than 100 years – until 2128. The Yamal gas production center, which includes Bovanenkovo field, has the “primary role in the national gas industry throughout the 21st century,” according to Gazprom.

The company also said it connected the Ukhta-Torzhok 2 gas pipeline, designed to pump gas into the Nord Stream 2 to Germany, to the key route of Russia’s Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS). The new gas pipeline is 970 kilometers (602 miles) long and can take some 45 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

Bovanenkovo is the backbone of the Yamal gas production center and the largest field in the area in terms of explored gas reserves. At the start of development in 2012, its reserves were estimated at 4.9 trillion cubic meters. Last year, gas production from the facility amounted to 82.8 billion cubic meters.

Minister of Mining and Heavy Industries D.Sumiyabazar held a meeting with fuel importers and agreed to cut fuel prices. From Dec 07, the price of a litre of A-92 petrol was reduced by MNT 100 at Mongolian petrol stations. However, it should be remembered that fuel prices increased by MNT 350 in 2018 after importers raised their prices some five times.

Meanwhile, the general manager said that Air China has played a positive role in fostering humanitarian relations between the two countries by offering services to poor Mongolian patients.

The company recently provided half-price tickets for 28 Mongolian children suffering from congenital heart disease who went to Beijing to receive free surgeries, and their parents.

"Next year, our two countries are set to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations," said Amgalan. "We are ready to do everything possible to make more contributions to the further development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries."Air China has commenced its operations in Mongolia in 1991 by starting its first direct flight from Ulan Bator to Beijing.

Last year, more than 95,000 passengers took the Beijing-Ulan Bator flight, up more than 30 percent compared with five years ago.

Ri arrived in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator on Saturday for a two-day visit at the invitation of the Mongolian foreign minister.

The two foreign ministers exchanged views on expanding bilateral cooperation at the regional and international levels and in various sectors such as politics, trade, sports and education, and other issues of mutual concern, the ministry said in a statement.

During the talks, Tsogtbaatar said that all relevant parties should cooperate closely to realize a completely denuclearized Korean Peninsula and solve any controversial issues in the region through negotiations.

For his part, Ri said that the DPRK adheres to the denuclearization of the peninsula, noting that strengthening mutual trust is now crucial in the region.

Mongolia and the DPRK established diplomatic ties in 1948.

The objective of the Seminar is to give the opportunity to entrepreneurs of Mongolia to look India for trade and Investment in the sector of Agriculture, Dairy, Pharmaceuticals, Tourism, Education, and Spices, Tea, Coffee etc. This Seminar will give opportunities to Mongolian companies to obtain information on Indian Economy, Business opportunities available in India, Trade and Investment environment in Mongolia as well as for the local entrepreneurs and organizations to learn more about Indian trade with Mongolia. You are kindly requested to disseminate this information among members of your organization and encourage them to participate in the event. Half Day event will be followed by Indian lunch.

You may register to the Seminar by email at commerce.ulaan@mea.gov.in & or by calling at +976-70132248 [Mr. Boldoo, Marketing Assistant] and for any other information related to the Summit.

Venue: Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 
1st floor Auditorium Date: 12th of December, 2018. 1000 hrs

At the meeting, the sides exchanged views on current conditions of the state budget and banking and finance sector of Mongolia.

The Head of the Cabinet Secretariat noted Mongolia’s involvement in the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program brought accelerated economic growth, improvement in the public budget balance and more investment. He also said the Government of Mongolia endeavours to decrease budget deficits and to diversify the economy by improving budget discipline and reducing expenditures.

Mr. Neil Saker expressed IMF’s satisfaction at Mongolian Government’s successful implementation of the EFF program, highlighting the 2018 State Budget is predicted to show a positive balance.

The parties also shared information about Mongolia’s export policy and economic growth.

People have known about the iron-oxide balls found in Utah for hundreds, if not thousands of years—they are often referred to as Moqui marbles after the local Indian tribe. But how the small spheres came to exist is a mystery. It is the same story with the little balls in Mongolia. Interest in both has spiked in recent years due to the "blueberries" (hematite spherules) found on Mars back in 2004—many geologists believe they developed in the same way as the balls on Earth. In this new effort, the researchers suggest they may have solved the mystery of their origin on Earth, and by extension, on Mars, as well.

The researchers started by looking at samples of the balls using X-ray diffraction and optical microscopes. This allowed them to get a good look at the cores of the balls. After studying the makeup of the interior of the balls, the researchers concluded that they were first nothing but sandstone (mostly calcite). But then, the sandstone was very slowly dissolved by acidic water rich in iron, resulting in the formation of the balls, which notably have calcite cores. The researchers next conducted lab experiments designed to make similar balls using the same process. They report that their efforts were successful.

The researchers suggest their findings offer evidence of flowing water on Mars during the time the "blueberries" came to exist. They note the lack of a calcite core does not mean it was never there—such cores could very easily have vanished due to over-wash flowing through the rock. They further suggest that such an occurrence would also explain the dearth of carbonate on Mars' surface—it would have been dissolved as part of the process that led to the creation of the blueberries.