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Tuesday, May 12, 2015
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TRQ closed -1.16% Monday to US$4.25, EGI -0.97% to US$0.43
Turquoise Hill Announces Financial Results and Review of Operations for the First Quarter of 2015
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - May 11, 2015) - Turquoise Hill Resources today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2015. All figures are in US dollars unless otherwise stated.
HIGHLIGHTS
· Oyu Tolgoi achieved a strong safety performance with no fatalities and an All Injury Frequency Rate of 0.25 per 200,000 hours worked.
· Beginning on January 1, 2015, Turquoise Hill began preparing its financial statement in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards.
· Oyu Tolgoi recorded revenue of $426.2 million in Q1'15 on sales of 167,700 tonnes of concentrate containing high gold content; concentrate sales exceeded production for Q1'15.
· Revenue and sales in Q1'15 reflect expected lower quarterly production and reduced head grades as well as the impact of the Lunar New Year holiday when border and customs operations were closed.
· Turquoise Hill reported income attributable to shareholders of $96.2 million, including a non-cash impairment reversal credit of $35.2 million related to its SouthGobi investment.
· Turquoise Hill generated operating cash flow of $105.3 million during Q1'15.
· In Q1'15, material mined increased 16.1% over Q4'14 mainly due to improvements driven by a range of productivity initiatives in the open pit partially offset by longer haul distances.
· Concentrator milling rates increased through Q1'15 as improvements started to take effect, particularly in the pebble crushing circuit.
· Open-pit development for 2015 is proceeding to schedule with higher-grade material expected to be processed by the concentrator starting in Q2'15.
· Turquoise Hill expects production distribution at Oyu Tolgoi to be relatively similar to 2014 with production levels significantly higher in the second half of 2015.
· In February 2015, Oyu Tolgoi shipped its one millionth tonne of concentrate.
· Significant progress has been made in discussions with the Government of Mongolia; however no formal agreement has been signed that resolves all remaining matters.
· Oyu Tolgoi LLC signed a Cooperation Agreement in April 2015 with its partner communities, which is required under the Investment Agreement and the Mongolian Minerals Law.
· On April 23, 2015, Turquoise Hill completed its divestment transaction with Novel Sunrise Investments Limited for the sale of 48,705,155 shares in SouthGobi, with a loss on disposal expected in Q2'15.
· On May 1, 2015, Turquoise Hill announced the expiration of its share purchase agreement with National United Resources for the proposed sale of 56,102,000 shares in SouthGobi.
· During Q1'15, Turquoise Hill generated $95.1 million of cash.
· Turquoise Hill's cash and cash equivalents at March 31, 2015 were $954.2 million.
FINANCIAL RESULTS
…
Discussions with the Government of Mongolia and project financing
Turquoise Hill, Rio Tinto and the Government of Mongolia remain committed to resolving the shareholder matters and finalizing project finance to restart the underground mine development at Oyu Tolgoi.
Turquoise Hill and Rio Tinto have made an offer to the Government of Mongolia to resolve the shareholder matters in a manner which the Company believes is beneficial to all stakeholders. Significant progress has been made; however no formal agreement has been signed that resolves all of the remaining matters.
Further development will commence once the following conditions are met:
· Successful resolution of shareholder matters, including the outstanding tax assessment;
· Agreement on a comprehensive funding plan, including Oyu Tolgoi project finance;
· Approval of the 2014 Feasibility Study by all shareholders and acceptance by the Mongolian Minerals Council; and
· Obtaining all necessary permits for the mine's operation and development.
Turquoise Hill continues to engage with the proposed project financing lender group and has kept both the international financial institutions and the commercial banks informed of the status of discussions with the Government of Mongolia. Commitments from the commercial bank consortium formally expired on September 30, 2014. Timing of any lender commitment extension requests will be determined when definitive progress or resolution has been made on shareholder matters. The lending group continues to be supportive of the Oyu Tolgoi project and current indications are that a suitable project financing package would be available upon resolution of the outstanding shareholder matters; however this is not guaranteed.
While discussions continue to resolve shareholder matters, and re-start underground mine development, Oyu Tolgoi's management is focused on efficiently and safely running the open-pit mine and the processing facilities, while the underground remains in care and maintenance.
…
Turquoise Hill Announces Results of Voting for the Election of Directors
VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - May 11, 2015) - Turquoise Hill Resources today announced that the nominees set forth in the company's management proxy circular dated March 20, 2015 were elected as directors of Turquoise Hill Resources. The detailed results of the vote for the election of directors held at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which took place on May 8, 2015 in Vancouver, are set out below.
Election of Directors
According to votes received, each of the following seven nominees proposed by management were elected as a director of Turquoise Hill Resources until the next annual shareholder meeting, or until such person's successor is elected or appointed, with the following results:
Name of Nominee | | Votes For | | % For | | Votes Withheld | | % Withheld |
Rowena Albones | | 1,840,670,462 | | 98.68% | | 24,590,084 | | 1.32% |
Jill Gardiner | | 1,855,892,608 | | 99.50% | | 9,367,938 | | 0.50% |
James W. Gill | | 1,863,536,557 | | 99.91% | | 1,723,989 | | 0.09% |
R. Peter Gillin | | 1,859,011,029 | | 99.66% | | 6,249,517 | | 0.34% |
Russel C. Robertson | | 1,858,208,426 | | 99.62% | | 7,052,120 | | 0.38% |
Craig Stegman | | 1,855,820,399 | | 99.49% | | 9,440,147 | | 0.51% |
Jeffery Tygesen | | 1,856,309,500 | | 99.52% | | 8,951,046 | | 0.48% |
Final results on all matters voted on at the Annual Meeting of shareholders will be filed on SEDAR.
1878 closed -1.69% Monday to HK$5.80, SGQ +35.56% to C$1.22. Results announced after HKEx close, before TSX
SouthGobi Resources Announces First Quarter 2015 Financial and Operating Results
HONG KONG, CHINA--(Marketwired - May 11, 2015) - SouthGobi Resources Ltd. (TSX:SGQ)(HKSE:1878) (the "Company") today announced its financial and operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2015. All figures are in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise stated.
Significant Events and Highlights
The Company's significant events and highlights for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and subsequent period to May 11, 2015 are as follows:
· The Company continues to operate under difficult market conditions as prices weakened further in China. The impact of these conditions on the Company's operations has been exacerbated given the Company's liquidity constraints.
· During the first quarter of 2015, the Company sold through its existing stockpiles to preserve the Company's liquidity and therefore mining operations were curtailed. On March 30, 2015, the Company resumed mining operations following the receipt of new sales contracts at the end of March, 2015. The Company's production of raw coal in the first quarter of 2015 was therefore negligible (two thousand tonnes compared to 210 thousand tonnes in the fourth quarter of 2014 and 635 thousand tonnes in the first quarter of 2014). Although it cancelled the furlough which affected the majority of its workforce through March 30, 2015, the Company will continue to pace production to meet demand in order to preserve its liquidity.
· In respect of the ongoing tax investigation case in Mongolia, on January 30, 2015, the panel of appointed judges from the Second District Criminal Court of Justice found the Company's three former employees guilty of tax evasion and gave sentences ranging from 5 years and 6 months to 5 years and 10 months of imprisonment in the correctional facilities of strict regimen in Mongolia. Although SouthGobi Sands LLC ("SGS") was not a party to the criminal proceedings, the court declared it to be financially liable as a "civil defendant" for a penalty of MNT 35.3 billion (approximately US$18.2 million on February 1, 2015). The Company firmly rejects this conclusion. Therefore, SGS filed an appeal of the Second District Criminal Court of Justice's verdict on February 18, 2015. On February 26, 2015 the President of Mongolia issued a decree of pardon to the three former employees who, following the pardon, were released from imprisonment and subsequently departed Mongolia. On March 25, 2015, the hearing of the appeal of the Tax Verdict took place. The Tax Verdict was upheld and the appeal by SGS was dismissed. Following the decision by the Second District Criminal Court of Justice, the Company immediately reasserted its view that there is a complete lack of evidence to support both the Tax Verdict and the Appeal Verdict and, as a consequence, announced its intention to continue to defend itself. Therefore, on April 22, 2015, SGS lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court of Mongolia against the initial verdict and the dismissal of its first appeal. On April 29, 2015 the Second District Criminal Court refused to advance SGS's appeal to the Supreme Court. Following an immediate protest by SGS, the Second District Criminal Court delivered SGS's appeal to the Supreme Court of Mongolia and as at May 11, 2015 the Company awaits confirmation from the Supreme Court as to whether they will hear the case. The Tax Penalty is only payable after a final appeal.
· For more information on the risks associated with the Tax Verdict, refer to the Risk Factor entitled "If the Company is unsuccessful in appealing the Tax Verdict it will likely not have sufficient cash resources to satisfy the penalty imposed thereunder." in the December 31, 2014 MD&A available on www.sedar.com.
· On February 24, 2015, the Company announced it had entered into a private placement for proceeds of up to US$7.5 million with Novel Sunrise Investments Limited ("Novel Sunrise") as a proposed new significant investor and strategic partner. The completion of the private placement and related transactions was subject to acceptance of notice of the placement by the TSX pursuant to the financial hardship exemption of the TSX Company Manual. As a result of relying on the financial hardship exemption, the Company was placed on remedial delisting review as of February 25, 2015. A meeting of the TSX Continued Listing Committee to consider this matter has been scheduled for May 19, 2015 although the Company is planning on seeking an approval from the TSX for a 30 day extension of the delisting review until June 18, 2015.
· On February 24, 2015, the Company was advised by Turquoise Hill that they had entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement ("Novel SPA") with Novel Sunrise for the purchase of 48,705,155 Common Shares currently held by Turquoise Hill.
· On March 3, 2015 following the successful closing of the first tranche of the Novel Sunrise private placement, including the receipt of US$3.5 million, the Company issued 10,131,113 Mandatory Convertible Units to Novel Sunrise and in accordance with the terms of the agreement Mr. Ted Chan was appointed as the Executive Director of the Company.
· On March 13, 2015, Mr. Enkh-Amgalan Sengee, tendered his resignation as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Ted Chan, assumed the duties formerly handled by Mr. Sengee until further notice.
· On March 18, 2015, the Company announced that Mr. Jeffery Tygesen resigned as a non-executive director.
· On April 23, 2015, the Company was advised that the Novel SPA as initially announced by the Company on February 24, 2015 had received all the necessary approvals and closed. Pursuant to the Novel SPA, Novel Sunrise has purchased approximately 48.7 million Common Shares from Turquoise Hill.
· On April 23, 2015, the Company successfully closed the second and final tranche of the private placement generating approximately $4.0 million in gross proceeds through the issue of approximately 11.6 million Common Shares. In addition, Novel Sunrise converted their previously acquired 10.1 million Mandatory Convertible Units on a one for one basis into Common Shares.
· On May 4, 2015 the Company announced it had been notified of the expiry of the Sale and Purchase agreement ("NUR SPA"), between Turquoise Hill and National United Resources Holdings Limited ("NUR") which provided for the sale of 56.1 million common shares in the Company ("Common Shares").
· On May 4, 2015 the Company received confirmation from Turquoise Hill of an extension to the limited deferral of amounts owing under the Turquoise Hill shareholder loan facility, subject to certain conditions and limitations.
· As at the date hereof, the Company, together with its new strategic partner and significant shareholder, Novel Sunrise, has developed a funding plan (the "Proposed Funding Plan") in order to pay the interest due under the CIC Convertible Debenture, meet the Company's obligations as they fall due, achieve its business objectives, in 2015 and beyond. However, there is no guarantee that the Company will be able to implement the Proposed Funding Plan or secure other sources of financing. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" for details. As at May 11, 2015, the Company had cash of $4.9 million.
OVERVIEW OF OPERATIONAL DATA AND FINANCIAL RESULTS
…
AKM closed -5% Monday to A$0.019
Northern Railways Commences Direct Negotiations For Erdenet to Ovoot Rail Concession
• The Company has received a letter from the Mongolian Government confirming that a multi departmental Working Group has been established to negotiate a Rail Concession and inviting Northern Railways LLC to commence negotiations.
• The Company has also entered into a Consortium Agreement with China Railways 20 Bureau Group Corporation who will provide to Northern Railways exclusive rights to technology required to construct the Erdenet to Ovoot Railway.
May 11 -- Aspire Mining Limited (ASX: AKM, "Aspire", or the "Company") is pleased to advise that its rail subsidiary, Northern Railways LLC ("NR"), has received a formal letter from the Mongolian Investment Agency charged with negotiating Concession Agreements that a working group has been established to negotiate the rail concession for the Erdenet to Ovoot Railway in accordance with a Cabinet resolution.
The working group comprises representatives from the Ministries of Roads and Transportation, Environment, Finance and Investment Agency.
In accordance with the Cabinet resolution the working group has invited NR to commence a direct negotiation around the terms and conditions for the Rail Concession Agreement along with a request for draft agreements to consider.
In order to support the granting of the Concession Agreement to NR, the Company has entered into a Consortium Agreement with China Railways Construction Corporation subsidiaries, China Railways 20 Bureau Group Corporation and China Railways First Survey & Design Institute Group Co Ltd.
The Consortium Agreement provides NR with an exclusive license to use patented intellectual properties which will be required to design and construct the Erdenet to Ovoot Railway.
Aspire's Managing Director Mr David Paull said "it was an exciting period for the Company as it can now formally commence negotiations for the Erdent to Ovoot Rail Concession. It is also of great benefit for a junior ASX listed Company such as Aspire to have the full technical and engineering weight of China Railways 20 Bureau Group Corporation behind it to support the negotiations for a rail concession with the Mongolian Government."
Sales director B.Batbileg appointed acting CEO of Erdenes TT
May 11 (gogo.mn) Ch.Sainbileg was working as CEO of Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi JSC for less than one month and he resigned. Thus, acting CEO of JSC was appointed at the end of last week.
The company`s BoD resolution dated May 7, 2015 which appointed B.Batbileg who was working as Director of Sales, Marketing and Logistics Department since 2013 as acting CEO of Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi JSC.
B.Batbileg was working as Senior Economist in 2010, Director of Stock Department and Director of Sales, Marketing and Logistics Department. Plus, he was working as Acting Deputy Director of Finance and Investment.
During his career, he successfully implemented the sales and transportation policy of Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi JSC for three years and sold two million tons of coal in 2013 and sold 5.8 million tons of coal in 2014.
With increasing coal sales by 2.9 times, MNT 400 billion was earned and contributed MNT 58 billion to state budget.
Winsway Bonds Gain as Company Seeks Fresh Capital After Default
May 11 (Bloomberg) Winsway Enterprises Holdings Ltd.'s dollar bonds rose from a record low as the Chinese coal importer asks more bondholders to sign a standstill agreement while it seeks additional capital to revive the business.
The company's $309.3 million of 8.5 percent 2016 notes gained 0.53 cents to 28.525 cents on the dollar as of 10:45 a.m. in Hong Kong, Bloomberg-compiled prices show. The securities, which touched 28 cents last week, have declined more than 9 cents this year and tumbled 45 cents in the previous two as a coal market slump dragged Winsway into financial distress.
Winsway failed to pay a $13.15 million semi-annual coupon on May 8 after the expiration of a 30-day grace period, according to a Hong Kong exchange filing late on Friday. A standstill agreement has been entered into with some bondholders under which they won't demand accelerated payment while Winsway seeks a buyer or injection of equity. That will expire on May 31 unless extended by mutual agreement.
"We expect the equity injection is contingent on the successful completion of the debt restructuring," Laura Zhai, a director at Fitch Ratings Ltd. in Hong Kong, said by phone Monday. "For new investors to come in, with the debt situation, it might be difficult."
Winsway is the second company to default in China's dollar bond market this year after developer Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. A 55 percent slump in coking-coal prices in four years through 2014 coincided with a slowdown in the world's second-biggest economy. Shenzhen-based Kaisa missed two U.S. currency note coupon payments last month and has 65 billion yuan ($10.5 billion) of interest-bearing debt.
'Significant Percentage'
Winsway is seeking the participation of 75 percent of bondholders in its 2016 notes to the debt standstill, Beijing-based spokeswoman Laura Shi said by phone Monday. It said in its exchange filing Friday that "a standstill agreement has been entered into in relation to a significant percentage of the outstanding principal amount of the senior notes."
Based on the bonds' sale document, bondholders with at least 25 percent of the notes can demand immediate repayment in the event of a default. The number of requests made so far falls below that threshold, according to Shi.
Fitch downgraded Winsway to restricted default from C, according to a May 10 statement, and said the company had planned to utilize the 30-day grace period to complete a debt restructuring plan. "Based on the current outlook for the company's financial performance, Fitch believes the likelihood Winsway will be able to refinance the bond has worsened following the covenants waiver and debt exchange in 2013," the ratings company said.
A bondholder group has formed and is being advised by Houlihan Lokey, with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP hired as its legal adviser.
Not Tested
Winsway sold $500 million of the 2016 securities in 2011. It bought back some of them from the market and via a tender offer in 2013. Its cash had dwindled by 78 percent to HK$438.6 million ($56.6 million) as of Dec. 31 from a year earlier, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
"The risk for U.S. creditors is China's bankruptcy law is pretty much untested," Kevin Starke, an analyst who specializes in distressed investments at CRT Capital Group Inc. in Stamford, Connecticut, said on Friday. "It's difficult to get access to assets because they are a couple of levels removed. Complicated structural charts are making it very difficult to invest in distressed here in the U.S., let alone in China."
Indonesian miners PT Bumi Resources and PT Berau Coal Energy are also restructuring $2.325 billion of their bonds post the coal price slump. SouthGobi Resources Ltd., a Mongolian miner, has also sought more funding to stay afloat. Sixteen of the 58 defaults globally in 2014 involved companies in natural resources, Standard & Poor's said in a January report.
Related:
Video: China's Winsway Misses Dollar Bond Payment – Bloomberg TV, May 11
MSE News for May 11: Top 20 -0.55% to 12,810.62, Turnover ₮16.1 Million
Ulaanbaatar, May 11 (MONTSAME) At the Stock Exchange trades on Monday, a total of 11 thousand and 420 units of 20 JSCs were traded costing MNT 16 million 068 thousand and 912.00.
"Merex" /3,050 units/, "Remikon" /2,322 units/, "Khokh gan" /1,370 units/, "APU" /1,178 units/ and "Hermes center" /1,143 units/ were the most actively traded in terms of trading volume, in terms of trading value were "APU" (MNT four million 121 thousand and 100), "Atar-Orgoo" (MNT three million and 128 thousand), "Bayangol hotel" (MNT two million and 645 thousand), "Talkh chikher" (MNT two million and 394 thousand), "Mongeo" (MNT one million 766 thousand and 400).
The total market capitalization was set at MNT one trillion 259 billion 710 million 397 thousand and 333. The Index of Top-20 JSCs was 12,810.62, decreasing 0.55% and the all index of MSE was 940.25, decreasing 0.36% against the previous day.
MSE Weekly Trading Report: MSE ALL -0.83%, Stocks ₮132.9 Million, T-Bills ₮3.1 Billion
May 11 (MSE) Mongolian Stock Exchange organized 5 securities trading sessions and made transaction of MNT3.2 billion with daily average transaction of MNT640 million between 4 May 2015 and 8 May 2015.
Share trading:
527,002 shares of 46 joint stock companies worth of MNT132,871,161.00 were traded.
Most actively traded securities
№ | | Securities Name | Value /MNT/ |
1 | APU | APU | 35,512,307 |
2 | MRX | Merex | 30,180,300 |
3 | HRM | Hermes Centre | 22,197,640 |
4 | GOV | Govi | 18,764,270 |
5 | SUU | Suu | 6,600,000 |
Most active brokerage companies
№ | | Company Name | Value /MNT/ |
1 | BDSC | BDSec | 84,826,400 |
2 | MSEC | Monsec | 50,182,950 |
3 | ARGB | Argabest | 25,266,780 |
4 | GNDX | Gendex | 20,975,165 |
5 | MWTS | MWTS | 20,731,863 |
Government retail bonds trading:
30,523 Government retail bonds worth of MNT3,052,300,000.00 traded through one trading session.
Most active brokerage companies in government securities trading
№ | | Company Name | Value /MNT/ |
1 | GLMT | Golomt Securities | 1,634,800,000 |
2 | BDSC | BDSec | 873,800,000 |
3 | BZIN | Daewoo Securities Mongolia | 298,300,000 |
4 | ALTN | Altankhoromsog | 124,100,000 |
5 | SECP | Secap | 82,300,000 |
As of 8 May 2015, market capitalization was MNT1,263,645,423,084.00 which indicated decrease of 1.45% and MSE ALL index decreased 0.83% from previous week respectively.
MSE Shows Profit for Four Straight Months – Glass Account Report
May 11 (MSE) As of 30 April 2015, "Mongolian Stock Exchange" JSC had revenue of MNT496,156,842.85 and expense of MNT347,887,428.89. Salary and related other expenses were MNT172,215,152.42 and maintenance and other expenses were MNT175,671,848.45. Overall, total profit accounted to MNT148,269,841.98.
Mongolian Stock Exchange has been operating with a profit for four months in a row since 1 January 2015. In addition, MSE did not make any transaction with more than MNT 5.00 million.
Bank rates at time of sending: TDB (Buy ₮1,938 Sell ₮1,950), Khan (Buy ₮1,940 Sell ₮1,950), Golomt (Buy ₮1,937 Sell ₮1,949), XacBank (Buy ₮1,938 Sell ₮1,950), State Bank (Buy ₮1,938 Sell ₮1,950)
BoM MNT Rates: Monday, May 11 Close
| | 5/11 | 5/8 | 5/7 | 5/6 | 5/5 | 5/4 | 5/1 | 4/30 | 4/29 | 4/28 |
| USD | 1,945.45 | 1,947.56 | 1,948.51 | 1,952.93 | 1,954.19 | 1,958.09 | 1,959.23 | 1,960.41 | 1,962.33 | 1,963.03 |
| EUR | 2,176.76 | 2,180.20 | 2,209.42 | 2,196.95 | 2,167.10 | 2,190.32 | 2,203.06 | 2,181.25 | 2,154.34 | 2,132.93 |
| CNY | 313.32 | 313.71 | 313.92 | 315.11 | 314.94 | 315.40 | 315.86 | 316.12 | 316.34 | 316.23 |
| GBP | 3,002.41 | 3,010.44 | 2,961.93 | 2,976.17 | 2,952.29 | 2,964.25 | 3,007.42 | 3,024.81 | 3,016.49 | 2,988.03 |
| RUB | 38.11 | 38.55 | 38.32 | 38.98 | 37.47 | 37.93 | 38.06 | 38.24 | 37.74 | 37.42 |
MNT vs USD (blue), CNY (red) in last 1 year:
BoM issues ₮60 billion 1-week bills at 13%, total outstanding -4.8% to ₮189.1 billion
May 11 (Bank of Mongolia) BoM issues 1 week bills worth MNT 60 billion at a weighted interest rate of 13.0 percent per annum /For previous auctions click here/
Consolidated Loan Report of Banking System, First Quarter 2015
May 11 (Bank of Mongolia) --
Mongolia Parliament and NRGI to Hold Discussion on Establishing Resource Fund
Ulaanbaatar, May 11 (MONTSAME) Such a discussion meeting will run this May 12 at the State House, organized by the Secretariat of the State Great Khural of Mongolia and the Natural Resources Governance Institute.
A senior economic analyst of the Natural Resources Governance Institute will give a presentation about the analysis and recommendation on the draft law on Fund for Future Generations, roles of macroeconomic policy and resource funds, ensuring adequate investment system for the natural resources fund, its transparency and reporting mechanism, public and executive monitoring.
The President's adviser on Citizens' Participation and Economic Policy L.Dashdorj and head of Natural Resources Management Division of the Ministry of Finance B.Togoldor will give information on the draft law on Fund for Future Generations and moderate open discussions.
The action will be attended by MPs, staff of the State Great Khural Secretariat, working groups in charge of the development of the draft law, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, delegation of the Canadian Embassy, policy analysts, researchers and representatives of other associated institutions.
11 thousand entities to be pardoned under economic amnesty bill
May 11 (gogo.mn) DP group at the State Great Khural made an announcement on the issues discussed at their meeting. DP group is viewing that the discussion of the draft laws on Economic Pardoning, Economic Transparency, Criminal Code, Police Authority and Tax laws as soon as possible.
Moreover, DP group agrees that discussion of 44 other draft laws under discussion should be accelerated.
Capital City Tax law draft was returned to the Standing Committee, with comments that this kind of law needs to be introduced after campaigns among the citizens and providing the transparency first.
The hidden income is to be registered according to the Economic Transparency Law, while the Economic pardoning law draft states that it will annul the taxes for the entities with the cases being investigated at the police or cases at court and start the proper accounting further. According to B.Garamgaibaatar, Leader of the DP group at State Great Khural, there are over 11 thousand entities with tax issues.
Cabinet Meeting Agenda for May 11
May 11 (gogo.mn) Plenary session of the Cabinet started at 4PM today. The agenda of the cabinet session includes the discussion of the 29 issues to be submitted to the State Great Khural for discussions.
The following table informs on the major issues to be discussed today.
№ | Agenda | Member of the cabinet |
1. | On the Government of Mongolia resolution 327 of 2014 | U.Khurelsukh |
2. | Amendments to the resolution and issuance of the additional funds | S.Bayartsogt |
3. | State Great Khural Resolution Concept on Maitreya Eco Town Development | S.Bayartsogt |
4. | Measures to take on vehicle usage | S.Bayartsogt |
5. | On rights to open exports credit line and establishing the credit agreements | J.Erdenebat |
6. | On joining the European Council Convention on transfering criminals | D.Dorligjav |
7. | Draft law on supporting the industrial sector | D.Erdenebat |
8. | On establishing the location and purpose of the land to be privatized by the citizens in 2015 | D.Tsogtbaatar |
Parliament Session Agenda for May 11
May 11 (gogo.mn) Meetings of parties and coalition groups in State Great Khural are scheduled for today.
1. Meetings of parties and coalition groups in State Great Khural
· DP`s Group at the State Great Khural meeting at A hall;
· MP`s Group at the State Great Khural meeting at G Hall;
· Justice coalition at the State Great Khural meeting at B Hall.
2. Meetings of Working groups
· "To approve main direction to privatize state property in 2015-2016" Sub Working Group of Economy Standing Committee meeting at 09:30AM.
· Sub Working Group of Economy Standing Committee on preparation of draf law on redevelopment of the city meeting at 01PM.
· Security and Foreign Policy Standing Committee will be held meeting at 02PM at B Hall on "Draft Resolution of the Basic State Policy on Military". (Closed meeting)
· Draft law on criminal case investigation and other related draft laws will be introduced to Members of Justice Standing Committee at 02PM at B Hall.
· Economy Standing Committee of draft law on trade meeting is at 2PM at A Hall.
· Sub Working Group of Social Policy, Education, Culture and Science Standing Committee meeting on Draft Amendments to the Law on Pension Insurance Funds at 03PM at G Hall.
2nd District Court designates secure reception area for witnesses and victims of crime
May 11 (news.mn) A press conference was held to announce the creation of a designated and secure reception and waiting area at District Court No. 2 for witnesses and victims of crime.
As stressed by the General Judge of the District Court No. 2, who rules on criminal cases, becoming a witness in a criminal investigation and appearing in court is always a difficult ordeal in regards to emotional strain and fear of physical threats, and it requires bravery. Victims of crime who appear in court for testimonies face the same strains and pressure.
The room for witnesses and victims is equipped with chairs, a sofa, and decor to make it a more comfortable environment. The room will be overseen by security professionals, and witnesses and victims will not be forced to come face to face with defendants. Online psychological counseling services will also be available to those requiring such services.
MP D.Battsogt: New bill will raise retirement age in 2027
May 11 (UB Post) The following is an interview with Head of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Policy, Education, Culture and Science D.Battsogt about issues related to pension.
Parliament is discussing to amend the Law on Social Insurance regarding personal account for pension insurance premium. What's the main cause for the changes?
In accordance with this law, women born in 1960 will have their pensions determined starting this year. Amendments were required for this law because women who had their pensions determined before 2015 are conditioned to receive pensions 30 percent lower than women getting their pensions determined this year despite having the same profession and same amount of wage and working years. The pension gap equaled to 103,000 MNT. An inequality has been created for people who had their pensions determined with the legislation on personal account for pension insurance premium and people who had it determined before with the Law on Pensions and Benefits, which is provided from the Social Insurance Fund. While people with personal accounts receive 200,000 MNT, the other group receives 303,000 MNT. The current pension entitlement principle should be maintained.
This year, how many people will have their pension determined? Will they all be accounted to receive lower pensions?
In total, 15,000 residents will have their pensions set and 70 percent of them will be accounted to have lower pensions. A survey showed that mainly people with low wages receive redacted pensions, lower by 103,000 MNT.
What caused this gap?
Many factors impacted this gap. Before anything, I have to say that the money collected from social insurance payers are given to elders as pension. Even though the legislation on personal accounts was approved, Mongolia wasn't able to save and accumulate money from insurers. The government now has got a debt of 8.8 trillion MNT to the Social Insurance Fund. Moreover, the fact that the government has been increasing pensions impacted significantly on the formation of the gap. During the 25 years after transitioning to a free market economy, pension amount was increased by 21 folds. It's necessary to increase pension, but there were times when pensions were increased for election purposes.
Will the state budget be burdened if people's pension is set according to the Law on Pension and Benefits?
No, a burden will not arise for the state budget. Even issues about offsetting social pension contributions will not occur to the public.
When will the legislation on personal accounts for pension insurance premium take effect?
We're upholding a policy to determine pensions with this legislation for people born after 1979. We're also working towards accumulating money by saving in the personal account for pension insurance premium.
Will the pension gap be eliminated in the future?
There isn't a country with a perfect pension system. To make some improvements on this issue, we're studying practices of other countries. For instance, Mongolia could reform the pension system and make it selectable and optional. If there's a person willing to pay higher social insurances so that they can receive high pensions later, we should give them that option.
The government is attempting to capitalize a pension insurance fund and create a housing mortgage loan system. Their objective is to establish a long-term sustainable system for mortgage finance by converting security approved through mortgage loans to pension insurance funds. This is a good move that is also beneficial to insurers.
You just mentioned about the stimulation of personal accounts for pension insurance premium. What will be the source of the stimulus?
Regarding the capitalization of the fund, Parliament should pay attention and the government should pressure and urge Parliament. There's a way of enforcing a policy with a proper management that annually puts in a specific amount of capital to the state budget and allots it for the fund. Without this sort of decision, parliaments and governments of different terms will not provide funds to personal accounts. They've already formed a debt of 8.8 trillion MNT. On the other hand, this issue is about the interests of insurers. They pay contribution every month so that they can use it in the future. Yet, nothing has been centralized in the fund. The money is used in the present, causing loss to the public. Only blank entries are made. This mustn't continue further.
Members of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) in Parliament have raised the issue about interest rates of pension credit being high when it can be reduced. Recently, the National Council on Social Insurance (NCSI) reported their work to the standing committee. During this time, did you discuss about reducing interest rates of pension loans?
Parliament can't insist commercial banks to lower interest rates of pension credits. They don't have the resources or legal grounds for doing this. Furthermore, a commercial bank isn't a charity organization. They operate on the gaps from saving interest rates and credit interest rates. Presently, inflation is high so the interest rate can't be forcefully lowered. The Central Bank increased its policy interest rates to stabilize currency exchange rate. Everything is linked.
In fact, if the capital from insurers is put at risk when attempting to decrease credit loan interest rates, who would be held liable? There are many things to do starting from research works.
According to banks, pension credit is said to be the riskiest loan. This issue can't be perceived from only one side. Still, as the standing committee did receive proposals from several members, the standing committee ordered members of the NCSI to meet with commercial banks and study if it's possible to reduce interest rates of pension credits. The national council will study this for two weeks and then report back to the standing committee.
How much can free balance of the Social Insurance Fund increase by having it placed in commercial banks with interest rates?
According to the NCSI, funds increased by 78 billion MNT last year. Some 600 billion MNT was placed in commercial banks. The NCSI has representatives from the government, employers and Trade Unions; three from each institute. The national council decides this issue.
Members from the MPP issued that some members in the NCSI should be changed. Members talked about an agency head and representative from Bayangol District Council is acting as representatives of employers. Can you comment on this?
The Standing Committee submitted a letter to change some members of the NCSI. It's a fact that an agency head and the person leading Bayangol District Council is part of the NCSI. The Head of NCSI explained that these two representatives entered the NCSI before they were appointed to their current posts.
The issue about changing the retirement age is attracting attention. Minister of Population Development and Social Protection S.Erdene said that there's a need to set a higher retirement age but the members of MPP wanted retirement age to be five years lower. What's been issued in the draft State Pension Policy submitted by the government?
Japan approved their state pension policy for the next 100 years. 100 years is too much, but we'll issue our state pension policy for the next 20 years. The average life expectancy of the population has become higher and the number of pensioners has been increasing every year. Moreover, the peak birth rates of 1960 to 1970 will cause drastic burden on the pension insurance fund soon. A proposal said that these issues should be looked over by planning 20 years ahead. It doesn't mean that the retirement age will be pushed back by five years immediately after Parliament approves the draft State Pension Policy. While this issue is being discussed, it's inconsistent to talk about setting an earlier retirement age. Some parties had submitted draft bills for pushing forward retirement age of herders. This is impossible to support.
Why is it impossible?
We can't adopt laws while only thinking about tomorrow. We have to look far ahead and plan the draft properly with suitable studies. We could try to scramble votes from the public and push forward the retirement age and decrease pension credit interest rates. However, this would be a project for no good. The actual situation demands something different.
As issued in the State Pension Policy, when will pension age be pushed back?
In connection to the age of the population, pension age for women will be pushed back in stages starting from 2017, allowing pensions at the age of 60 in 2027. The pension age for men will become 62 in 2027. This condition is absolutely necessary as the median age is becoming higher and pensioners are increasing.
Source: http://politics.news.mn/content/211701.shtml
Can Mongolia complete ASEM preparations on time?
May 11 (Mongolian Economy) The Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), where Asian and European countries assemble biannually to discuss political, economic and cultural issues, will be held in Ulaanbaatar next year, chaired by Mongolia.
If Mongolia can host the meeting successfully, our international reputation will grow, and this will present an opportunity growth in investment and tourism. The organising country bears a big responsibility as next year marks the 20th anniversary of the ASEM summit. As such, the President of Mongolia, Ts.Elbegdorj, issued a decree to establish a National Council to deal with organising and directing the 11th ASEM summit in Ulaanbaatar.
The National Council is assembling every week and six working groups have been established. The head of one of these working groups, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, L.Purevsuren said, "Our working group will issue the agenda and materials for the meeting. Mongolia should reflect its own position in there. We're working hard on this to develop the next 20 years of direction for this huge organisation which links Asia and Europe." Each sub-working group has its individual responsibilities such as facilities, infrastructure, housing for delegates and media and promotion. The head of working group in charge of ASEM's promotion, A.Ganbaatar said, "We hope that we will finish everything on time." Hence, we must be well prepared as Mongolia is bearing a lot of responsibilities.
Over 5,000 guests including leaders, government officials, international agencies and media from 51 countries are expected to attend the event. Hotel and accommodation issues were finalised during meetings which were held last week, and then the official logo and the website of the 11th ASEM summit were declared and launched this week. According to the working group, the meeting preparations are making good time.
So far, a total of 43 hotels comprising of three five-star, four four-star, 11 three-star, three two-star and one one-star hotels have officially been chosen to accommodate the participants of the meeting. Thirty four of the hotels require investment for improvements and upgrades, with a little under MNT 200 billion required for renovations. It has been decided that the business will be provided with soft loans, as soft loans can be provided with three- to five-year terms with an interest rate of nine percent. In other words, a maximum of MNT 30 billion will be provided for one hotel.
In addition, the government will support organising training for hotel staffs. Many professional international chefs and managers are going to come to conduct the training on the the government's dime. As for this year, big hotels such as the Holiday Inn, Sheraton and Shangri-La will open.
The АСЕМ website will be improved over 3 months
The ASEM 11th summit official website www.asem11.mn has been launched. The website is designed similar to the previous websites dedicated to the summit with rich information, easy access and few pop-ups. For example, detailed information about transportation and services for delegates are going to be on the special menu named Mongolia. Information about the ASEM summit will be given through this website, where summit participants will register. The Director General of Mongolian National Broadcaster, Ts.Oyundari, stressed that the asem11.mn website will become the guide for Mongolians as well as international participants and journalists. The website will be developed over three months.
A total of 22 participants sent 35 logo designs for the 11th ASEM summit, and the design by S.Altankhuyag from the Union of Mongolian Artists has been selected. Furthermore, his logo will be used as the ASEM 2016's official logo and also will be officially placed in over 10 sub-meetings.
As for the ASEM 11th summit logo, the upper ring hole – Toono (upper frame) – of a Mongolian traditional yurt "Ger" represents the globe, which in turn symbolises the global significance of the 11th ASEM summit. The slightly diagonal-sloped E letter reflects the three belts of the Mongolian Ger as well as the past, the present and the future. The blue colour embodies the eternal blue sky, strength and peace, whereas the red signifies dignity and prosperity. On the other hand, blue and red are the national colours of Mongolia. The logo will be used on documents and letters of governmental and non-governmental organisations and embassies, and it will especially be regularly placed on emails and documents that are being sent to foreign countries.
The event preparation of our country, which became an ASEM member during the 7th ASEM summit in Beijing, is going down like this. In addition to these works, we have an issue regarding air travel. The issues will be solved if the new international airport at Khushig valley can be completed before the summit. Much time has been lost selecting the project proponent of the Khushig valley international airport which is located 40 km from the capital. However, officials were saying that it is possible that the project be completed next year. Everyone has expectations and aspirations that the Khushig valley airport will be put into operation before the ASEM summit.
The President said, "Attaining the right to organise this summit shows that Mongolia's reputation has reached a high level." ASEM does not only involve the political sector, but it also opens a chance for civil society organisations and business sectors to expand its scope and cooperate with similar organisations from member countries. Therefore, the government and business sector should prioritise the 11th ASEM summit alike.
Our country's service sector will especially progress by hosting the ASEM summit, because the service industries such as hotels which receive bad marks form foreign tourists get an opportunity to improve their service qualities by organising this kind of huge event. On the other hand, it should be noted that it will become a huge learning experience for us in organising big events in the future.
Monkey Business That Is Mongolia's Centralized Heating
By Jargal "De Facto" Dambadarjaa
May 11 (UB Post) Heating is turned on in the autumn, just before you freeze to death. Then, it is turned off in the spring when you are struggling because of the heat. Having given smart excuses, such as the multi-year average temperature, the government decides when you should feel cold or hot. You do not have the choice to adjust the heat. This scene, which was existent during the socialist era, is still around in our market economy today.
In winter, hot water is constantly cut off while the heating does not keep you warm. It forces people to wear their coats and jackets in their homes despite living in an urban area. Although letters and complaints are sent by residents, they are juggled between the offices of central heating, maintenance, and heat distribution. Some people send their complaints to the media. However, nothing gets done after some attention to the issue. We forget about these problems in the summer, get reminded in the autumn, and become frustrated over the winter. This is the cycle we live in.
Nevertheless, customers pay in full for heating and hot water. Payment is still made when the supply has been cut off or has not been up to standard. If one fails to pay on time, heating and hot water are cut off. The rates set by the supplier must be paid fully, regardless of how much heat and water you, your home, or your organization conserves.
YOU ARE IN THE WRONG IF YOU INSTALL METERS
Khovd University installed a heat meter and started paying for heat based on their use. It allowed them to cut their spending by 50 percent and use the money to renovate their sports field, which included covering their basketball court with designated turf. It greatly improved the environment for student recreation.
The university had to spend half of its annual budget on heating prior to installing the meter. However, J.Yanjmaa, the director of Khovd University, was sued by Badamlakh Dul LLC, which privatized the entire heat production and distribution network of Uvs and Khovd provinces. It is the government's policy to privatize infrastructure for producing heat and to leave the infrastructure required for distribution under public ownership. It seems that this principle is not upheld in the countryside.
The province government stated that it was wrong of Khovd University to make such an "irresponsible" move, demanding that the payment must be made on the basis of the building's volume, and banned the installation of heat meters anywhere in the province. They claim that if every organization can freely install a heat meter, then the heating plant would go bankrupt, which will lead the province center to freeze.
To protect the rights of customers, the government has been setting the prices of hot water, electric power, and heating at the lowest possible rates since the socialist period. The deficits which result from the lower rates are made up for by the government. As a result, 15 to 30 percent of the annual budgets for Mongolia's education and health sectors are still dedicated to heating buildings only. The causes of heat loss in buildings that belong to these two areas can be determined, and relevant certificates can be given so that every organization pays for heating based on use. If that happens, the deficit in Mongolia's power sector will be significantly reduced.
Aid agencies from Switzerland and Germany studied why Mongolia's apartments and buildings are cold inside. It was determined that 40 percent of the causes relate to the quality of the building's construction, 25 percent to heat loss, 17 percent to faults in heating systems, and 16 percent to erosion.
IF AT LEAST HEAT LOSS IS STOPPED
The fifth kindergarten building in the center of Khovd Province was renovated through an aid project carried out by German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). After assessing the heat loss of the building from every aspect, they thickened the outer walls using special materials; replaced all 58 windows with double-paned, vacuum-insulated windows; insulated doors, floors, and the roof; and cleaned all pipes and heaters. As a result, the heat loss of the building was nearly eliminated. Also, they installed a metering device that makes hourly measurements of changes in water temperature, as well as air temperature, inside the building.
This work resulted in an improved environment for teachers to work in, and allowed children to learn more as they were no longer suffering from the same levels of cold and sickness. It was an improvement in quality. In the past, the kindergarten had an average room temperature of –8 degree Celsius. In such circumstances, it was a question of surviving rather than learning.
It is said that a total of 260 million USD was spent to improve the heating of this kindergarten built in 1975. The annual budget of the kindergarten is 300 million MNT, half of which is spent on salaries. They used to pay 20 percent of the budget (60 million MNT) for heat. Even though the heat loss was reduced by 50 percent, which should allow for savings of 30 million MNT, they are still paying 60 million MNT, just as before.
The project team did a similar job at a kindergarten in Zavkhan Province as well. This year they are planning to do the same work at several locations: 450 million MNT in upgrades for a dormitory building in Tes soum, 240 million MNT in upgrades for the school in Erdenekhairkhan soum, 180 million MNT on the health center in Duut soum, and 800 million MNT on the school in Jargalant soum. Besides employing local resources and labor, training them, and introducing new technology, the primary objective of the project is to raise issues related to heating and improve the governance surrounding it in Mongolia. I was advised of this by Bjoern Wahlstedt, the project director, during a meeting in Khovd.
If heat loss is eliminated and room temperature can be changed at will, it will be beneficial to customers and, ultimately, to producers. It would allow us to stop this monkey business where heat is lost while customers pay more and producers charge unnecessary costs.
If we can manage it wisely, it will not only bring about commercial benefits, but also improve living conditions and prevent sicknesses made worse by the cold. Isn't it time for all levels of government to pay attention to this issue, one that is greatly critical to our social well-being?
Trans. by B.AMAR
Mongolian cashmere producers urged to take advantage of Japan EPA
May 11 (UB Post) Last Friday, Minister of Industry D.Erdenebat met with representatives of the cashmere sector to talk about measures to be taken in order to increase cashmere product export.
Mongolia signed an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with Japan at the beginning of the year, which is expected to open up opportunities for Mongolia to export domestic products without taxes. Minister Erdenebat is calling on the cashmere sector to actively participate in the state and private sector meeting between Mongolia and Japan that will take place in June.
The Minister underlined that cashmere producers will be provided with loans to increase the export of cashmere products. The loans are intended to be spent on technical and technology upgrades, as well as for improving product design and quality, underlined Minister Erdenebat.
Analysts say that exporting products to Japan, a country which has lead the way for economic growth and development in the region, will advance trade cooperation between the two countries.
Mongolian agriculture specialists meet to discuss development challenges
May 11 (news.mn) The Agro-ecology Institute of the Mongolian State University of Agriculture organized a scientific and production conference named "Development of the Agricultural Sector-2015".
The Ministry of Agriculture, State Professional Inspection Authority, Plant Protection Institute in Darkhan-Uul Province, Engineering and Technology Institute, coordinators and researchers from the Mongol Potatoes Program, and other specialists attended the conference.
Several reports were presented on the following topics: soil, inspection structure, planting technology, seed economy, plant protection, technology innovation, utilization of agricultural land, registration, and evaluation.
Participants exchanged views on whether or not state policy being implemented in agriculture is effective, and if Mongolia has the possibility to export seeds and develop its agricultural sector.
Minister of Agriculture R.Burmaa stated, "Although the agricultural sector was down, due to the launching of the third stage of the Virgin Land program, this sector has flourished and we have become able to meet domestic needs using seeds and wheat planted in the domestic market.
"But it should be noted that cultivators don't have a united policy, and due to that, the cultivators have failed to pursue the recommendations and guidelines for technique and technology. Based on our analysis of 580,000 hectares of agricultural land, 61.4 percent of the land is experiencing deep erosion.
"Although 74 percent of the land in Mongolia is grassland, the Ministry does not oversee this land, so it is difficult to deal with accountability, responsibility, and structure on this issue."
Designer Ariunaa Suri to participate in Assembly 2015 – The Design Festival in Graz
May 11 (UB Post) Mongolian famous fashion designer Ariunaa Suri and her team announced that they will participate in the Assembly 2015 – The Design Festival in Graz, which will take place at Schlossbergbuehne Palace in Graz, Austria from May 28 to 31.
Over 60 designers from 14 countries, such as Italy, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Hungary, Austria, Germany and Mongolia, will promote their designs at the event. Ariunaa Suri will features her new 2016 collection at the fashion event.
Nine designers have been shortlisted to compete for the highest award of Assembly 2015 – The Design Festival in Graz, Kastner and Oehler.
The winner of the Kastner and Oehler fashion award will be announced on May 28.
Organizers of the Assembly 2015 – The Design Festival in Graz described Ariuna Suri's designs as, "Mystery of In-Between – A mysterious existence between Eastern and Western, where the culture, lifestyle and history of art are totally different, and the scholar who assimilates these special features in the creations – this is Ariunaa Suri brand. It is for everyone, who has the ability to feel and express the brand with their own tastes and personalities. The inspiration of the designs are usually rooted from the unique pattern, motifs and elements of extraordinary Mongolian traditional costumes and all these features are imbibed into Ariunaa Suri's designs. Every single piece of work by the Ariunaa Suri brand is timeless and classical, which is made of luxury, high quality materials from Mongolian wild nature such as cashmere, leather, hand crafted accessories."
The Assembly 2015 – The Design Festival in Graz is the most exciting part of Design Month Graz 2015, annual international design event. Design Month Graz 2015 is taking place from April 30 to May 31. Some 22 nations are taking part in 52 design related activities of the event.
Ulaanbaatar Mayor To Study Bulgaria's Experience in Building Sofia Subway Network
May 11 (FOCUS News Agency) Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has boasted that the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar plans to pay a visit to Sofia to examine the construction of the Sofia subway.
Plevneliev is on an official visit to Mongolia.
Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj confirmed the announcement of Plevneliev, adding that the goal of the visit was to find out how the Sofia subway had been built on a small budget over a short period of time, according to a correspondent of the BGNES news agency.
Plevneliev and his Mongolian counterpart met face-to-face, while the two delegations signed bilateral agreements between the two foreign ministries on the training of Mongolian students at Bulgarian universities, on technical assistance in agriculture, on scientific cooperation between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
Bulgaria's head of state described Mongolia as an important partner, adding that some of the best spheres for bilateral cooperation were the pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, IT, and defense.
Plevneliev vowed that Bulgaria would support Mongolia on an EU-level.
He expressed satisfaction that the Bulgarian Parliament had ratified the framework agreement on partnership and cooperation between the EU and Mongolia.
Bulgaria's President wished Mongolia a successful hosting of the Asia-Europe Meeting in 2016, emphasizing that the event would boost the international reputation of the country.
Asked to comment on the difficulties experienced by Mongolian citizens seeking to obtain visas for Bulgaria, Plevneliev noted that Bulgaria had restored its embassy in Ulaanbaatar and was seeking to open a consular office there, thereby facilitating the visa issuance process.
Plevneliev reminded that a Bulgarian company was creating a comprehensive transport oversight system in Mongolia and that an agreement had been signed on building a modern greenhouse in the Asian country.
Elbegdorj thanked Bulgaria for the support for Mongolia's cooperation with the EU.
He said that the agenda of bilateral talks had included issues of expansion and development of trade and economic relations, investments, defense, and agriculture.
Elbegdorj also informed that Mongolia's Agriculture Minister would visit Bulgaria soon to study the country's experience in the sphere of agriculture.
Ulaanbaatar plants thousands of trees on National Arbor Day
May 11 (UB Post) Saturday was the first National Arbor Day of the year and Ulaanbaatar residents from various backgrounds planted thousands of trees around the city.
The biggest tree planting project took place at National Garden Park (NGP) where over 2,000 officials and members of more than 50 organizations planted 3,000 saplings.
NGP's Chairman, B.Saranchimeg, highlighted that the park will keep putting efforts towards expanding green areas in the city and reported that 104,000 trees and bushes have been planted on 55 hectares of land at NGP since 2009.
The total green area at NGP covers 975 hectares, which makes up 23 percent of Ulaanbaatar's green space. NGP also noted that each of the saplings that residents planted on Saturday had individual codes, registered in a database. This way, residents can keep track of how the saplings they planted are growing by accessing an online database. NGP staff will regularly look after the saplings.
Saturday's Arbor Day took place on a same day as the 70th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Regular Parliament in Mongolia. Speaker of Parliament Z.Enkhbold officiated at an event where parliament members planted 70 saplings to honor the 70th anniversary of World War II.
The Office of the Parliament, Office of the President, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Food and Industry, Ulaanbaatar City Mayor's Office, Ulaanbaatar Economic Development Authority, Ulaanbaatar Power Distribution Network, National University of Mongolia, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Mongolian National Federation of the Blind, Down Syndrome Association Mongolia, General Education School No.24, and Union of Senior Teachers also participated in the project.
The State Academic Theater of Opera and Dance celebrated the opening of "Classic Grove" in front of Independence Palace in the Sukhbaatar District, in collaboration with the district's administrators and the Embassy of Turkey in Ulaanbaatar.
The theater hopes to contribute to increasing green areas in the city by planting 2,500 saplings in the new grove. Director of the theater Ch.Munkhzul, Ambassador of Turkey to Mongolia Murat Karagoz, as well as Sukhbaatar District delegates attended the opening.
The President of Mongolia first issued the ordinance to observe Arbor Day in 2010, with two celebrations a year on the second Saturday of May and October.
The Ministry of Environment, Green Development and Tourism worked with a number of organizations over the weekend to put on several tree planting projects around the city, as part of its efforts to plant one million trees in 2015.
Khan Bank Joins "Banking Grove" Campaign to Increase Green Facilities
May 11 (Khan Bank) Last May, Mongolian banking organizations laid the foundation of the "Banking Grove" campaign in the National Park for the purpose of appealing to the public to plant trees, protect and restore the environment and make contributions to increase green facilities in the capital city.
In the scope of the "Banking Grove" campaign organized by the partners, supporters and members of Mongolian Sustainable Finance in cooperation with My Club students' e-group, an event for the planting of trees took place in the Choijin Lama temple museum.
The Choijin Lama temple museum contains excellent artworks of Mongolia's history, religion, culture, architectures and scluptures. Therefore, the Mongolian banks are making contributions to refurbish such an culturally significant place.
The Mongolian Bankers Association management, senior officials of the banks or members of the Sustainable Finance Program, its working group members and the program partners and supporters including MongolBank, Ministry of Environment, Green Development and Tourism, IFC and students of My Club movement participated in a ceremony of the "Banking Grove" campaign.
For the purpose of making actual contributions to create green facilities, Khan Bank has been implementing the Khan Bank's Forest program since 2008 and planting trees in cooperation with individuals and corporate entities in Ulaanbaatar and rural areas.
Bulgaria President kicks off visit to Mongolia (ROUNDUP)
Sofia, May 11 (FOCUS News Agency) Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev started an official visit to Mongolia on Sunday.
The visit will continue until May 12 and comes in the context of the 65th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Mongolia.
Emphasis will be laid on the possibilities of strengthening political dialogue, boosting trade and economic cooperation and partnership in fields, such as: mining, pharmaceutics, energy, agriculture and food production, leather industry, high technologies, building modern infrastructure, science, education, and culture.
President Plevneliev kicked off the visit to Ulan Bator with a meeting with Mongolian citizens, who have worked or studied in Bulgaria.
"We will show that we do not look only to the past but also to the future – we will outline a clear action plan, we will ink bilateral agreements and look for strengthening of the cooperation in the field of agriculture and food production, pharmacy, mining, information and communication technologies, education and cultural exchange, science.
We will meet the business of the two countries and we want not only to visit Mongolia but also to stay and realise high-quality products."
With these words Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev addressed more than 60 Mongolian citizens, who attended the meeting.
"It is an honour to be on a state visit to friendly Mongolia on the occasion of the 65th anniversary since the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Mongolia.
It is symbolic enough that my first visit to Mongolia starts with those people, who keep Bulgaria in their hearts, who know and love it.
You will help us so as a modern and ambitious Bulgaria to succeed in Mongolia," the Bulgarian Head of State said further.
The President considered unique the association of Mongolian citizens, who graduated in Bulgaria and stressed that what had been learned in Bulgaria helped friendly Mongolia in its fast and dynamic development in all fields.
"3,500 Mongolian citizens have specialised or graduated their higher education in Bulgaria. There are members of the government, members of the parliament, painters, opera artists, geologists, doctors, agronomists, and others," he commented further.
"Yet again Bulgaria has the ambition to be an educational centre in Southeast Europe and we hope that more and more young people will receive their education in our country.
The Bulgarian universities are strong, their diplomas are acknowledged in the entire Europe and the world and they are a symbol of high-quality education.
You are the symbol of the success of this educational system and we are going to strengthen these ties during my visit," Mr Plevneliev remarked.
President Rosen Plevneliev will be officially received at an official ceremony in the capital Ulan Bator on May 11 and will hold talks with Mongolia's political leadership.
The Bulgarian Head of State is due to meet with counterpart Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Chairman of Mongolia's State Great Khural (parliament) Zandaakhuu Enkhbold, and Prime Minister Chimediin Saikhanbileg.
In the frames of the state visit to Ulan Bator, President Plevneliev is to inaugurate a monument to the Cyrillic alphabet.
A joint Mongolian-Bulgarian forum will also be held.
Bilateral agreements will be inked, too.
Similar:
President of Bulgaria paying a state visit to Mongolia – InfoMongolia, May 11
President of Bulgaria Arrives – Montsame, May 11
President of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev on visit in UB – gogo.mn, May 11
Bulgarian President Unveiling Monument to Cyrillic Alphabet in Mongolian Capital
May 11 (Novinite.com) A 5-meter-tall monument to the Cyrillic alphabet is to be unveiled by Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev during his visit to Mongolia on May 11.
President Plevneliev is in the country to mark 65 years since diplomatic relations were established between Bulgaria and Mongolia. Bilateral documents in education and agriculture are also to be signed during the visit in which the head of state is accompanied by a business delegation.
Introduced in the 1940s, the Cyrillic script makes Mongolia the only non-Slavic country whose population uses the alphabet created in the 9th century by St Kliment Orhirdski, a student of St Cyril and St Methodius, and adopted by Bulgarians, Serbians, Russians, and Macedonians.
Though the move by Mongolia to use the script has been subject to controversy, several governments in a row has argued that it has helped boost literacy among the population to nearly 100 percent.
In 2012, Mongolia also decided to erect a monument to St Cyril and St Methodius during another visit by a Bulgarian delegation, then led by Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov.
Mongolia, Bulgaria Presidents Hold Extended Talks
Ulaanbaatar, May 11 (MONTSAME) After the individual meeting, the Presidents of Mongolia and Bulgaria ran official extended talks May 11. The Mongolian President expressed a satisfaction with the fact that the state visit of his Bulgarian colleague has coincided with the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.
In response, Mr Plevneliev said he believes his current visit will be of great efficiency in intensifying the bilateral relations and cooperation.
The sides exchanged opinions on new opportunities and possibilities of deepening the relations and cooperation. They discussed ways of intensifying the collaboration in education, sciences, agriculture and other spheres, and looked upon such cooperation as of high importance in upgrading the friendly relations of the two countries.
Present were at the meeting the Minister of Foreign affairs of Mongolia L.Purevsuren, the Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Republic of Bulgaria L.Dugerjav, the Minister of food and Agriculture R.Burmaa, the vice Minister of Education, Culture and Sciences B.Tulga, also the Minister of Defense of Bulgaria N.Nenchev, an MP and head of Committee on the Environment and Water and member of Bulgaria-Mongolia parliamentary group S.Ivanov, and a vice speaker of the National Assembly D.Galvchev, along with other related officials.
Bulgaria to Provide Mongolia Agricultural Technical Assistance, Increase Scholarships
May 11 (President.mn) After the official talks, a signing ceremony for bilateral documents on cooperation was held at the Nine White Banners Hall of the State Palace.
A Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia L.Purevsuren and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Valentine Poryazov.
An Agreement on Providing Technical Assistance in Agricultural Sector was signed by Minister for Food and Agriculture of Mongolia R.Burmaa and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Bulgaria Vassil Groudev.
An Agreement on Granting Scholarships for Mongolian Students to Study in Bulgarian Universities was signed by Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Science of Mongolia B.Tulga and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Valentine Poryazov.
A Protocol of Cooperation between the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was signed by the President of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Academician B.Enkhtuvshin and Advisor to the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Stefan Hajitodorov.
China, Mongolia pledge enhanced security cooperation
BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- China's senior security official Meng Jianzhu on Monday called for enhanced law enforcement and security cooperation with Mongolia.
Meng addressed the issue during a meeting with Tsagaandari Enkhtuvshin, secretary-general of Mongolia's National Security Council, in Beijing.
Meng said law enforcement and security cooperation are important to China-Mongolia relationship.
The current international and regional security is changing in a complicated way, he said, adding China is ready to work with Mongolia to crack down on the "three evil forces": terrorism, separatism and extremism.
Meng also urged the two sides to jointly fight transborder crimes, to safeguard trade and personnel exchanges between the two countries.
Enkhtuvshin said Mongolia is willing to work with China to push forward with law-enforcement cooperation.
State Councilor and Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun also attended the meeting.
India PM Will Address State Great Khural of Mongolia as Guest of Honor
Ulaanbaatar, May 11 (MONTSAME) The Chairman of the State Great Khural Z.Enkhbold has issued a direction to hold an honor meeting of parliament on May 17 on occasion of the visit of the Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi.
The latter will pay a state visit to Mongolia this May 16-18 by invitation of the Premier Ch.Saikhanbileg. The visit is considered as special one as it will be the first visit of the head of India's Government to Mongolia, and is coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries
The two PMs will hold official talks, and Mr Modi will pay courtesy calls to the President and the Speaker.
Modi to be first Indian PM to visit Mongolia
NEW DELHI, May 12 (TNN): While China will be in focus during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forthcoming visit to East Asia, the real value would be his trip to neighboring Mongolia, where Indian grand strategy will meet the charms of "Art of Living" style of meditation and mindfulness.
Constrained by geography and sandwiched between the great powers of China and Russia, Mongolia has looked upon India as a "spiritual neighbour". That's why Mongolia will greet the first ever prime ministerial visit from India by going the whole nine yards on a weekend. As India intensifies its efforts to engage with China's periphery, Mongolia has become more significant to New Delhi's Asia strategy.
Chimed Saikhanbileg, Mongolian PM, will be opening up the Parliament for Modi on Sunday to address lawmakers in Ulaan Baator. Since this is also Mongolia's 25th anniversary of becoming a democracy, India will push two key elements of its soft power - Buddhism and democracy. Coming from China, the distinction cannot be more stark.
But the "cool" component will doubtless be a special workshop of the popular 'Art of Living' practice, which apparently enjoys huge popularity in Mongolia. Saikhanbileg has promised to be part of the workshop, though it's not clear whether Modi will participate as well.
Modi is scheduled to begin his visit at the famous 19th century Gandantegchinlen Monastery where he will plant a sapling from the 'Mahabodhi' tree. The Mongolians will lay out the rarest of rare visual treats - a special session of their national festival, the Naadam Games. This festival, featuring equestrian sports, wrestling and archery, is generally held in July and is on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage, apparently tracing its history to Genghis Khan.
For the first time, this year will see a second celebration, albeit on a smaller scale, for the Indians on Sunday.
India has always enjoyed a special place in Mongolia, but with China and India both engaging intensively in each other's periphery, this land-locked East Asian country has acquired strategic importance.
Mongolia is rich in minerals, but India has consistently lost out to China in access to these resources. In 2014, China's Shenhua Corporation together with Japan's Sumitomo Corp and Energy Resources LLC took over the massive Tavan Tolgoi coal deposits. India came up with a non-serious bid that had little chance of going through. India even signed a uranium deal with Mongolia in 2009, but that has not gone further, and the Indians have cooled off.
Modi is expected to announce a big assistance package to Mongolia. That is part of India's recent outreach to all of China's neighbours, a counter strategy to Beijing's own outreach to countries in India's periphery. Mongolia is also the only country where the Indian ambassador from 1990-2000 was the 19th Kushok Bakula Rimpoche, one of the leading lamas of the 20th century. A sign of his importance, and consequently that of India was that it was the Indian ambassador who hosted the Mongolian leadership, not the other way around.
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Chinese takeaway: Modi in Mongolia – The Indian Express, May 12
History: Mongolia's participation in World War II
May 11 (infomongolia.com) On May 9th nations of many countries have celebrated the 70th Anniversary of Victory of the Great Patriotic War as marked the end of the World War II, also the Victory Day marking the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union.
In the XX century, there were two global wars (WWI and WWII) and the WWII that lasted from 1939 to 1945 was the most widespread war in human history, and caused to change the world political map.
Commemorating the Victory Day, InfoMongolia.com interviewed the Director of Center for Military Studies at the Defense Ministry, PhD, Prof, Colonel S.Ganbold to get more comprehensive and detailed information regarding Mongolia's involvement in the war and what was the actual help from the people of Mongolia, because the grand victory had also impacted to the sovereignty of Mongolia.
Prof. S.Ganbold acknowledges that a total of 110 million people from 61 countries of the three continents that counts the 80% of total world population of that time were directly involved in the WWII that resulted in an estimated 50 million to 70 million fatalities, but the exact number of casualties and losses is not determined yet today.
The Great Patriotic War left a deep mark in the history of Russia and Mongolia as well as become a golden page in the friendships of the two nations. According to estimations, the Soviet nation lost a total of 27 million people, of which, the Red Army deaths count 11.9 million (6.8 million militants killed and 4.6 million missed and arrested). A total of 34.5 million Soviet militants had participated in the war. 13.7 million civilians found dead, whereas 7.4 were killed by occupiers and 2.2 million people were sent to German concentration camps and in the occupied territory 4.1 million people died of starvation.
During the Patriotic War, a total of 1,710 cities and towns, over 70 thousand villages, 32,000 fabrics and plants were damaged and destroyed in the USSR, in addition, 98,000 cooperatives and 2,980 machinery-tractor stations were aggravated burglary that caused a total 128 billion USD damages (in some documents it states 450 billion USD).
However, Mongolia did not participate in the war, but joined the anti-Germany coalition from the first day, because Mongolia's sovereignty, flourish and progress were directly connected with the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).
On June 22, 1941, when the Germany attacked the Soviet Union, the leadership of Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, members of Baga Khural (Parliament) and Government authorities called an urgent meeting to discuss the situation and jointly issued a Declaration to support the Soviet people upon the Mongolian-Soviet Mutual Assistance Protocol (1936) in the event of war.
On the following day, June 23, a big gathering was organized on Sukhbaatar Square, Ulaanbaatar and attended people were unanimously expressing their voices to assist and help the Soviet neighbor. Consequently, Mongolia was one of the first nations declaring the world to stand against fascism joining the USSR.
Onwards, many movements some voluntarily some organizational were began under "All to Front, All for Victory" appeal and it uninterruptedly continued throughout the war.
The campaigns were divided into state policy, financial aid, military support and charity in the forms of donating food, clothes, horses, livestock, money, gold, jewelry and equipment as well as were trying to support psychologically by sending letters and private gifts.
To those Soviet people, who were residing in Mongolia, pensions and assistance were regularly allocated from the Government until the end of the war. All industries were working on weekends with extended 2-5 hours and some in three shifts to overdo and accomplish factory planning beyond 400% and in the movements, were involved everybody from school children to elder herdsmen as well Soviet citizens in Mongolia.
Following the massive movement started, the Council of Ministers of Mongolian People's Republic (MPR) issued the first Decree on September 06, 1941 on organizational issues of collecting the gathered gifts, presents and the aid, and regarding how to deliver to Russia. Accordingly, a "Donation Central Commission" was formed under chairmanship of late D.Sukhbaatar's spouse S.Yanjmaa, the widow of Mongolian revolutionary leader Damdin SUKHBAATAR. Sub-commissions were formed in all centers of Aimags and Sums as well as at factories and state organs with purposes to collect donations and further to send to the Front.
- The first part of gifts from the people of Mongolia was sent to Red Army in November 1941 containing 15,000 sets of sheepskin coats, felt boots, fur gloves, fur vests and leather belts; 6,000 pieces of woolen jacket; and 440 pieces of fur blanket, and pursuant to that time currencies it was estimated about 587,000 Tugrug (MNT), Mongolian official currency. The exact number of wagons is not found yet in archives and Mongolian officials were not appointed to deliver the first donations, but the first train reached Kuibyshev town in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia.
- Commemorating the 24th anniversary of the Red Army, Mongolian Government sent the second part of donations in February 1942 and this time the gifts were delivered by a group of dozen authorities including the First Deputy to Prime Minister of the MPR S.Luvsan, Secretary General of the Central Committee of MPRP (Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party) and Chairwoman of Donation Central Commission S.Yanjmaa, Major P.Shagdarsuren, poet L.Tsend-Ochir, herdsman B.Puntsag, partisan D.Damba, Ambassador of the MPR to the USSR J.Sambuu and other officials. The aid was distributed to solders of the 49th Army of the Western Front commanded by G.K.Zhukov and the 37 wagons contained 148.1 tons of various meat, 8 tons of sausage, 10 tons of various biscuit, 4.5 tons of oil, 8,000 liters of vodka, 275,000 packs of Russian papirosa, 2,750 pairs of felt boots, 2,706 coats with fur outside, 4,100 warm vests, 1,320 short sheepskin coats, 6,290 pairs of gloves, 4,500 flats of Ger felt, 2,000 pcs of leather belt, as well as certain amount of leather boots, knitted scarves, cotton wool clothes, sweets and canned milk with a total estimated cost of 7,187,140 Tugrug.
- The third train of aid from Mongolia commemorating the 25th anniversary of October Revolution was delivered on November 27, 1942 and a large group of over 40 personas was headed by Prime Minister of the MPR, Marshall Kh.Choibalsan. The third of a grant aid series worth of 9,252,340 Tugrug was comprised of 236 wagons containing 30,115 short sheepskin coats, 30,500 pairs of felt boots, 31,257 pairs of fur gloves, 31,090 fur vests, 33,300 pcs of leather belt, 2,290 woolen jackets, 2,011 pcs of fur blanket, 3,050 coats with fur outside, 150 sets of Mongolian Ger accompanied with 2,428 flats of felt, 2,575 pairs of boots, 7,158 pairs of hospital slippers, 600 Kazakh saddles, 316 tons of meat, 26,758 carcasses of frozen antelope, 92 tons of oil, 84,8 tons of sausage, 12.9 tons of fruit jam, 36.9 tons of candy, 70.4 tons of biscuit, 50.6 tons of soap bar, 150 leather coats, 150 pairs of laminated leather boots, 300 pairs of leather footwear, 900 ski hats, 480 boxes of vodka, 56,050 pcs of catalog envelopes, 27,875 note pads, as well 127 boxes of personal gifts and 22,176 pcs various types of knives and watches. The third part of donations is considered the largest one compare to other six conveyors and were delivered to four destinations of Western, North-Western, Volokhov and Kalinin Fronts.
- Commemorating the 25th anniversary of Red Army, Mongolia sent the fourth part on March 01, 1943 and the delivery group was chaired by Secretary-General of the Central Committee of MPRP Yu.Tsedenbal. The grant aid comprising of 110 wagons were filled with 12,000 pairs of felt boots, 12,000 pairs of leather boots, 3,000 pairs of footwear, 500 pairs of pilot shoes, 1,000 pairs of slippers, 10,000 military overcoats, 3,066 sets of cotton-wool pants and jackets, 1,000 military saddles, 10,500 pcs of leather belt, 38 Mongolian Gers, 628 bicycles, 30 tons of soap bar, 132 boxes of various gifts such as clothes, blankets, razors & shaving machines, knives, cigarettes and etc.; Also, 205 tons of food products (68 tons of butter, 80 tons of sausage and 65 tons of sweet & biscuits), 16,745 carcasses of frozen antelope, 715 wild pigs, 18,985 partridges, and 33 buckets of wine. These deliveries were divided in two groups and distributed to 20th and 61st Army Divisions of Western Front, the 1st Heavy Bomber Aviation Division near Moscow, and some tank corps of Central Front respectively.
- The fifth part comprised of 32 wagons was delivered by a group of about 10 persons led by Deputy Prime Minster B.Lamjav in November 1943. The train contained 1,200 military overcoats, 1,200 fur vests, 1,200 pairs of felt boots, 1,200 pairs of leather boots, 1,200 pairs of fur gloves, 58 tons of beef and mutton meat, 44 tons of antelope meat, 15.6 tons of pork, 15.9 tons of sausage, 15.6 tons of butter, 13.1 tons of biscuits, and about 4,000 pcs of personal gifts.
- The sixth part of grant aid comprised of 102 wagons was delivered from Naushki and another 25 wagons from Choibalsan station in January 1945 with total cost of 8 million Tugrug. These donations included 31,000 pairs of felt boots, 1,600 pairs of various types of leather footwear, 20,000 military sheepskin coats, 2,000 military overcoats, 1,010 coats with fur outside, 22,000 leather belts, 870 fur blankets, 3,000 pairs of hospital slippers, 2,000 knitted scarves, 2,486 pairs of woolen gloves, 6 Mongolian Gers & 5,408 meters of felt, 83 tons of soap bar & mahorka tobacco, 158 tons of livestock meat & pork, 80 tons of sausage, butter & fruit jam, 14,424 carcasses of frozen antelope, 2,364 pcs of row bird meat, 4,920 pcs of knitted and woolen clothing, and 12,460 units of other personal gifts. The delivery group was headed by Secretary-General S.Yanjmaa and Ambassador J.Sambuu and handed to representatives of the 1st Ukrainian Front in Moscow.
Moreover, the "Revolutionary Mongolia" (112th tank brigade) and Mongolian Arat Air Squadron both funded by contributions from the Mongolian People's Republic were included in above series.
- The Government of Mongolia considered the supplying of military technique was an important part in wartime and at the 25th plenary session of Baga Khural held in January 1942, it was resolved to form the "Revolutionary Mongolia" tank brigade and present to the Soviet Army. Accordingly, the Government collected fund of 2.5 million Tugrug, 300 kg of gold, and 100,000.00 American Dollar.These funds were transferred into an account of Foreign Trade Bank of the USSR in February 1942 and later monetary transaction of charity of about 2.0 million Turgrug from the people of Mongolia was also added.
These capital were devoted to construct 32 units of the most-produced tank of the war- T-34 and 21 units of T-70 and consequently, the 112th tank brigade namely "Revolutionary Mongolia" was handed by Marshall Kh.Choibalsan as part of the third part of donations by Mongolians on January 12, 1943. The presenting ceremony took place near Moscow and on each tank turret had signs like "Revolutionary Mongolia" from - "Central Committee of MPRP", "Ministerial Council of the MPR", "D.Sukhbaatar", "Kh.Choibalsan", "Khatanbaatar Magsarjav", "G.Bumtsend", "Mongolian Herdsmen", "Mongolian Intelligentsia", "Partisans", "Public Servants", "Mongolian Women", "People's Army", "The Chekists", "Federation Council", "Mongolian Revolutionary Youth League", "Industrial Workers", "Miners", "People's Educational Workers", "Hospital Workers", "Border Guardsmen", "Handcrafts Cooperatives", "Non-collegiate Mongol Cavalry", "Agriculture Workers", "Pioneers", "Culture and Art Workers", "From each 18 Aimags of Mongolia", "Soviet Residents", and "Soviet Women in Mongolia". Also, each tank was handed to a crew accompanied with personal gifts and other staffs.
The "Revolutionary Mongolia" tank brigade engaged in the Battle of Kursk on the Eastern Front near Kursk during July and August 1943, and was awarded with Soviet "Gvardia" Order and after the MPR Baga Khural resolved to bestow with Order of the Red Banner of Battle Valor on November 18, 1943.
Later, the "Revolutionary Mongolia" tank brigade, which was the first foreign-invested units, was renamed as the 44th brigade and during the engagement in the war many other top awards were conferred by the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.
- The second big-scale wartime technique presented by the people of Mongolia was the Mongolian Arat Air Squadron, which was resolved at the 26th Baga Khural plenary session in March 1943. The necessary fund was collected within four months and the Donation Central Commission made a transaction of 2 million Tugrug into the account of the USSR People's Commissariat for Finance (Ministry of Finance since 1946).
With the above money were constructed 12 Lavochkin La-5 fighters forming the part of the 2nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regimentof the Soviet Air Force and the squadron was conferred to Major General A.S.Blagoveshenski on September 23, 1943. The squadron had fights in the Fronts of Volkhov, Kalinin, Western, Bryansk, 1st Baltiysk, 3rd Belarusian as well as at the battles of Kursk, Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive and Sandomir, and successfully participated in the liberations wars of Belarus, Lithuania, East Prussia, Poland, German, and Czechoslovakia.
Moreover, the Government of Mongolian People's Republic had been providing separate supplies of food and clothes for each crew of the "Revolutionary Mongolia" tank brigade and the Mongolian Arat Air Squadron, even more, had transferred 2 million Tugrug three times for technical innovations in 1943-1945.
- Another large campaign to help the fronts of the Great Patriotic War was to purchase horses for the use of the Red Army. Upon a request of the USSR, the Central Committee of MPRP and Council of Ministers appealed its nation to sell horses voluntarily.
Accordingly, the campaign was conducting nationwide and as a result, 485,000 horses were sold and 32,538 were presented.
Also, when a Mongolian delegation delivered an aid, Joseph Stalin welcomed the delegates at the Kremlin on February 02, 1943 and at the banquet he emphasized, "A friend is proven in time of trouble. Mongolians have been helping us from the very first day of the war".
As a result, Mongolia's total help was estimated at 435 million Tugrug, 300 kg of gold, 100,000.00 American Dollar and over 500 thousand horses.
However, the MPR's aid to the USSR compare to other Allied Powers such as the USA, the UK, and Canada is not big, but Mongolia with its population of less than one million people sent almost everything and half of the annual state budget was devoted for the Fronts in 1941-1945.
To note, Mongolia's help compare to other countries was non-refundable aid and in the wartime, the United States of America had implemented a "Lend Lease" Program since 1941.
The USA supplied the USSR with weapons equipment, food and clothing worth of 11.3 billion USD.
For instances,
- Combat aircraft, 14,795 units
- Truck, 375,883
- SUV, 51.503
- Tractor, 8,701
- Motorcycle, 35,170 pieces.
- Anti-aircraft artillery, 8,213
- 345,735 tons of explosives
- Freight wagon, 11,155
- Train locomotive, 1,981
- Radio station, 38,051
- Field telephone apparatus, 400,711
- Telephone cable, 2 million km
- Radio-locator, 445
- Military boots, 15,417,000 pairs
- Tires, 3,8 million
- Warships, 552
- Ice breaker ship, 3
- Metal-processing devices, 38,100
The United Kingdom helped with weapons, equipment and other staffs equivalent to 1.7 billion USD.
For instances,
- Combat aircraft, 7,411
- Resistance tank cannons, 548
- Anti-aircraft artillery, 385
- Radio station, 7,041
- Radio-locator, 1,648
- Warships, 21
Canada supplied the USSR with 200 million USD aid.
And after 70 years, the incumbent President of the Russian President Vladimir Putin has also recalled the help of the people of Mongolia throughout the WWII during his opening speech at the Moscow Victory Day Grand Parade held on May 09, 2015.
Military parade devoted to the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held traditionally on Red Square in Moscow, which was considered the greatest of all the parades ever held. Over 15 000 people including servicemen of foreign Armed Forces have solemnly marched on Red Square with participation of 75 militants of the Armed Forces of Mongolia witnessed by the President Ts.Elbegdorj.
Dialogue Held on Disaster Risk Reduction by Mongolia Govt, UN
Ulaanbaatar, May 11 (MONTSAME) A high level development dialogue on strengthening a coherence between disaster risk reduction in response to climate change and a sustainable development kicked off Monday at the Main Hall of the State House.
Co-organized by the Office of Deputy PM of Mongolia, the UN Permanent Representative Office in Mongolia and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), the dialogue brought Ms Margareta Wahlstrom, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Disaster Risk Reduction, who delivered the key report. Other prominent figures were U.Khurelsukh, the Deputy Premier of Mongolia; D.Oyunkhorol MP, the Minister of Environment, Green Development and Tourism; N.Enkhbold MP, a president of the Red Cross Society of Mongolia; T.Badral, a head of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA); N.Bat-Erdene, a Deputy Mayor of Ulaanbaatar city; Sezin Sinanoglu, the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Mongolia.
The participants discussed how to reflect actions of disaster reduction in the national development strategy and to develop a multilateral cooperation in establishing a national platform for disaster reduction, to fruitfully realize the Sendai Framework, and to set up a national council for regulating actions of the relevant sectors.
Mongolia participating for the first time at Venice Biennale
May 11 (gogo.mn) The 56th International Art Exhibition (the Venice Biennale) titled All the World's Futures, curated by Okwui Enwezor and organized by la Biennale di Venezia runs May 9th to November 22nd, 2015. 90 National Participations will exhibit in the historical Pavilions at the Giardini, at the Arsenale and across the city of Venice.
Mongolia is participating for the first time at the 56th International Art Exhibition (the Venice Biennale) and Mongolia is represented by the leading comtemporary artists Enkhbold and Unen-Enkh.
Below is the schedule of Mongolia Pavillion at the Venice Biennale.
For more information: mongolia-pavilion-venice-biennale.com
Date | Time | Activity | Location | Details |
May 5-6 | 24 hours | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Giardini Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 7 | 10.00-14.00 | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Giardini Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 7 | 17.00-18.00 | Inauguration of Mongolia Pavilion performance by T.Enkhbold | Visit of Paolo Baratta and Okwui Enwesor. Mongolian public authorities, sponsors and Pavilion Team will be present | |
May 8 | 10.00-15.00 | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Giardini Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 7-8 | 18.00 - | Preview opening parties | Palazzo Mora | Preview of 3 national pavilions and other collateral events will be held at the same time |
May 9-Nov 22 | 10.00-18.00 | Mongolia Pavilion exhibition | Palazzo Mora | open every day except Tuesday |
May 10-11 | 24 hours | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Giardini Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 12-13 | 10.00-16.00 | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Campo Santa Maria Formosa | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 14 | 15.00-19.00 | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Sant Elena Park | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 15-16 | 13.00-20.00 | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Campo Santa Maria Formosa | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 17 | 16.00-20.00 | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Campo San Maurizio | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 18 | 10.00-17.00 | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Campo S.Agnese | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
May 21-23 | 24 hours | Performance by artist T.Enkhbold | Giardini Viale Giuseppe Garibaldi | Artist builds and settles in his little nomad tent and interacts with surroundings |
Nov 22 | 18.00- | Closing of Mongolia Pavilion | Palazzo Mora | Preliminary Plan |
UN Volunteers in Mongolia helping Turn Garbage To Gold
May 5 (UN Volunteers) A proper waste management and recycling in Ulaanbaatar (UB), the capital of Mongolia, is absent. Moreover, poverty and unemployment are rising at the city outskirts known as the ger district. But something can be done.
The Turning Garbage to Gold (TG2G) project, introduced by UNDP Mongolia as a part of its innovation action, addressed both environmental degradation due to weak solid waste management and urban poverty of the ger district residents.
Miroslav Hodecek, Czech UN Youth Volunteer who served in Mongolia, became a part of the TG2G project. "We identified the most vulnerable groups at the outskirts of UB, helped them to organize themselves in groups, and to communicate with each other. Then we started to work on the project together," Miroslav describes.
The UNDP project was implemented by "Technoj", a local NGO for business incubation, with which Miroslav worked on a day-to-day basis to provide implementation support. Besides Miroslav, other 20 local student volunteers supported the project and demonstrated how young people can help improve the lives of vulnerable local communities.
The TG2G project created opportunity for over 100 migrant low income households at the city outskirts to stand on their own feet and to start their own small, but sustainable businesses. People learned how to set up their own system for recyclable waste collection in their neighborhood. They were provided with training opportunities to produce recycled goods such as brooms and benches from plastic bottles and to market those products.
Despite the modest funding, TG2G was highly successful. Number of beneficiaries, recycled products and blueprints, and small businesses, as well as income generation opportunities gained through partnerships with national private companies and businesses have grown far beyond initial expectations.
"It was such an honor to work with UNDP Mongolia on TG2G project, on the ground, side by side with people who directly benefited from the project. The impact is real and measurable. You can meet the people whose life is better, thanks to the UN support" Miroslav concludes
We thank our UN Online Volunteers Gantsetseg Myagmarjav, Munkhzaya Nemekhbaatar, Narangerel Dashdondog and Erdenesuren Weiner for their contribution to the translation of this article into Mongolian.
UNV Mongolia Online Volunteers were mobilized through www.onlinevolunteering.org.
UNICEF Mongolia: Reaching those most in need
By Surenchimeg Vanchinkhuu, Health Specialist, UNICEF Mongolia
May 4 (UNICEF Mongolia Blog) Uuganbat is a happy, energetic three year old boy. "I want to go to kindergarten," he says. "At kindergarten you get to learn things, play with other children and eat nice food. My favourite game to play is school."
His mother, Urankhishig, 29, says he really wants to go to school. "Every night he prepares his clothes, like a uniform, ready for the morning to go to school," she says. "He gets up really early in the morning to make sure he is ready, just in case it is time for him to go to school".
Uuganbat lives in crowded, rented ger on a small piece of land in Murun, Khuvsgul Province, northern Mongolia with his mother, father Tumurbaatar, 27, older sister Solongo, seven and his younger sister Tungalagtamir six months old.
The family moved to Murun a little over a year ago and have no family support. They have no running water and have to walk half a kilometer each way to collect water from the closest well.
The family is very poor and survives on welfare payments and income from Tumurbaatar, when he is able to secure work day laboring. Urankhishig wants to work, but can't. "It is hard," she says. "I need someone to help take care of my children, so I can work, but I have no one. I am also partially deaf, which makes it hard to get work".
A lack of education also makes it hard to find work. Urankhishig left school after the third grade, and Tumurbaatar after just one year. "I am worried about my family," Urankhishig, as she looks at her young children. "I want them to be educated and healthy."
When the family moved to Murun, Urankhishig was pregnant with her third child and Uuganbat was underweight and unwell. Luckily the family had been identified as at-risk by local health workers during their outreach work in the community, as part of the Reach Every District and Soum strategy (REDS).
Bayasgaltantuya a nurse at the Dalai-Elberel Family Clinic explains. "When we identified the family, Urankhishig was five months pregnant," Bayasgaltantuya says. "We helped the family register with the various local authorities and made sure Urankhishig received antenatal care and was registered to give birth. We also gave her advice on breastfeeding, which she followed."
They also helped Uuganbat. "When we first met Uuganbat, he was underweight," she says. "The family clinic provided him with multiple micronutrients, including vitamin A and D, worked with the family to increase their awareness of nutrition and got the family food stamps. It has made a difference - Uuganbat is now a normal weight for his age, and much healthier".
REDS strategy
The family's situation is not unusual in Mongolia. Despite recent economic growth in the country, over a quarter of the population lives in poverty, according to the United Nations Development Program. When talking about child poverty, this figure is likely to be much higher.
One of the ways UNICEF, the Government of Mongolia and others are helping address poverty is through the REDS strategy. The nationwide strategy aims to identify vulnerable families in Mongolia who need additional support, and to assist them to access that support. The strategy targets the urban poor and integrates key health and social services.
Bayasgaltantuya says the REDS strategy is working. "One by one, we are helping families get access to shelter, health care, education and welfare payments such as food stamps or heating fuel subsidies, and to register them with local authorities. It is making a huge difference".
Why health matters
Surenchimeg Vanchinkhuu UNICEF Health Specialist says improving the health of children is vital in the fight against poverty.
"When a child is healthy, they are more likely to fully develop and become a healthy adult, who can participate in society to their full potential," Surenchimeg Vanchinkhuu says. "We want every child in Mongolia to have that opportunity".
"Improving health services is at the core of UNICEF's work around the world, and the REDS strategy is one key way we are doing this in Mongolia," she says. "The REDS strategy is providing key low cost, high impact health interventions at the community level, while helping to build a stronger national health system".
"Moreover, the strategy is collecting a lot of good data on the needs of the urban poor," Dr Vanchinkhuu says. "This data should create the foundation for future planning for health and social services and make sure they are reaching those who need it the most," she says.
Across Mongolia, the strategy has helped thousands of vulnerable families. For Uuganbat's family, it has made a real difference. Bayasgaltantuya believes the family will be all right. "I am hopeful for them. I think they will have a bright future".
Glorious yet pitiful child athletes of Mongolia
May 11 (gogo.mn) Mongolia's little representatives of the intellectual sports are being acknowledged globally. World athletes are considering Mongolian participants as their strongest opponents and are paying special attention.
One of the biggest example is the Asian Draughts Championship 2015 held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan during April 2 to May 6.
Team Mongolia has shown incredible results at three categories of Adolescent, Adult and Elders winning total of 71 medals of which 20 gold, 24 silver and 27 bronze.
This Asian Championship involved participants of 15 coutries and Mongolia shown colossal results standing just after the host country Uzbekistan and third by its number of Gold medals.
This is the result we can be proud of not only in Asia as this shows where Mongolia ranks in the world.
Special attention deserve our little participants. Our 11 year-olds have ranked at first four places one after another at the 100 results.
This is just one example of how Mongolian team performed.
In parallel with the good news we have to touch on the lacking side as well.
Approximate cost for one child to participate in regional competitions is around MNT 6-8 Million. For some this is not a problem, but for the ones from the average families it is a great burden. Children with high ranks have to participate at least in one international competition and 2-3 national and aimag competitions, each with its costs. Let me tell the story of the two kids.
B.Bilguundari, four times Bayankhongor Aimag Draughts Champion, National Champion, Asian Championship Bronze medalist, Sports Master with 1st ranking, four times Bayankhongor Aimag Chess Champion and Sports Master with 3rd ranking, was qualified for participation in Asian Championship, but faced the financial hardships.
In 2013 she was qualified to participate in World Championship, but due to the financial constraints she skipped the tournament. Therefore, many initiated campaign on social media to help the little girl.
As we thought that we could help the girl to go for the tournament another boy Ch.Dashpuntsag was qualified for the championship and we doubled our efforts to help him as well. We have approached many who we knew and didn't know, we sent our letters to MPs and other business people. Luckily with the help of the good-hearted people the kids could go to the tournament.
B.Bulguundari and Ch.Dashpuntsag have fulfilled the trust of those many who helped them and both won Gold Medals at Turkish Draught in their respective categories.
It seems unbelievable. The reason for my fascination is that while other participants have been fully prepared for this category, our participants have competed in Turkish Draughts category for the first time. They had only two days for preparations and here they are standing with the Gold medals both.
Mongolia has a Sports Ministry. If the state cannot provide its athletes with everything, it should at least have the policy on how to support the ones who have already proved themselves at regional and international competitions.
We have to have the proper policy and support system for our athletes, which can be responsible for the proper management of the athletes and support the talents for better results.
It is impossible to beg for money every time and every year for all the qualified participants. Although people can lend their helping hand it is not that much supportive psychologically for the kids. As the more they receive the help they are under burden of not failing and breaking the trust of those many, instead of thinking of the tactics to compete.
Therefore, we need to come up with the support and policy to prepare the future athletes and let them deliver their best results without worrying about the financials at that young age.
This is the sad truth behind the glorious win by our young talents.
UN and Partners Discuss Lessons Learned in Gender Mainstreaming
Ulaanbaatar, May 11 (MONTSAME) This year, first Gender Theme Group meeting was held on 6 May in the United Nations (UN) House in Ulaanbaatar themed "Community of Practice: Towards substantive Gender Equality Results".
The meeting brought together bilateral development agencies, international NGOs, Gender Focal Points from the line Ministries, National Gender Expert Group along with National Committee on Gender Equality and UN Gender Theme Group.
Last year, the Group's meeting, held in October, had provided a platform for information sharing and mapping the gender activities among the extended Group. This year, the meeting took one step further with more substantive and practical discussion as a community of practice.
Given that so-called gender mainstreaming is both a universal mandate and a challenge to almost all development agencies as well as the Government, the meeting first shared and discussed experiences, lessons learned and recommendations in gender mainstreaming practices of all the Group members. Gender mainstreaming is a globally accepted strategy for promoting gender equality, assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies and programs, in all areas and at all levels.
Secondly, Asia-Pacific countries' experiences in operationalizing the Gender Equality Law were presented by Ms Imrana Jalal, Senior Gender Specialist of Asian Development Bank (ADB) with insightful implications to Mongolia's current implementation of Gender Equality Law. She also gave presentation on the Gender Theme Group meeting.
The Group agreed on deeper and consultative assessment of the gender status for the future interventions and collective actions to promote gender equality and inclusive development in Mongolia.
Mongolia - Przewalski's wild horses in Khustain Nuruu Park
May 11 (Mongolia Travel and Tours) Discover the Prewalski's horses, the only truly wild horse, that has never been tamed.
It has been reintroduced in Mongolia after having been declared extinct in the wild a few years ago, thanks to the last horses remaining in zoos.
Three Kilts in Mongolia (Trailer)
April 8 (Rob MacDonald) National Adventure Awards 2015 nominee film maker Rob MacDonald, of MacDonald Creative, embarks on a journey of a lifetime.
Follow three middle aged dads from Scotland as they embark on the journey of a lifetime. Watch them leave their comfortable suburban lives in Scotland to discover the rugged beauty and rich culture of Mongolia.
From their local Scottish supermarket to slaughtering goats and catching their own fish in the wild, from the warmth of their own beds to the harshness of sleeping in Gers in the wilderness and from short journeys in their own family cars to travelling in excess of 55 hours together in an old cramped van.
Along the way they will meet the proud wrestlers of Mongolia and take them on at the national sport. Dave, Jamie and Robert will wear their kilts with pride as they battle with these greats after only six weeks of training.
The boys will share their highs and lows and come away with a love and respect for the beautiful country of Mongolia that will last a lifetime.
Produced by MacDonald Creative http://macdonaldcreative.co.uk/
Aerial filming by Air Creations http://aircreations.co.uk/
Expedition led by Sand-baggers http://www.sand-baggers.com/
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