Vietnam, Mongolia step up efforts to take traditional friendship to new heights

President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and his spouse will therefore pay a State visit to Vietnam from November 1 to November 5.

This marks the first official visit to the country and also the first one to a Southeast Asian nation made by the Mongolian President since taking office.

Earlier in January, 2010, President Khurelsukh visited Vietnam whilst in the role of General Secretary of the Mongolian People's Party. He also played an active role in promoting the establishment of a new relationship framework with the Vietnamese side when he was both Deputy Prime Minister and Prime Minister of Mongolia.

The state visit by Mongolian President Khurelsukh and his wife will make an important contribution to strengthening the traditional friendship that exists between the two countries, thereby continuing to boost the development of bilateral relations in more substantive fields. This will be in accordance with the capabilities and needs of both sides, thereby meeting the interests and aspirations of the people of each country towards the 70th anniversary of both nations’ diplomatic relations.

After nearly 70 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the time-honoured friendship that exists between the two countries is constantly being strengthened and developed amid international and regional situations continuing to record many fluctuations.

The Vietnamese side consistently values and wishes to further deepen traditional friendly relations with Mongolia, while the Mongolian side attaches great importance to its relationship with Vietnam, viewing the nation as the most important partner in Southeast Asia.

Recent times has seen delegation exchanges and high-level meetings between the two countries regularly maintained, with many visits being conducted by senior leaders in 2013, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023.

As a result, mutual understanding and trust alongside all-around co-operation between the two countries have been strengthened.

Most notably, security and defence linkages are consistently viewed as an important pillar as part of the overall bilateral relationship.

Regarding economic ties, the two countries signed an agreement on trade co-operation in 1996. Due to many objective reasons, especially geographical location and transportation, joint economic and trade collaboration has been maintained at a modest level.

Bilateral trade exchange reached roughly US$50 million in 2020, about US$80 million in 2021, US$85 million in 2022, and US$76 million during the past eight months of this year.

Of the figure, the country primarily exports agricultural products and food, especially modern medicine from Mekopharm, Bidipharm, Hau Giang, Habaco, Saigon tobacco, G7 coffee, dried noodle, and Saigon beer.

Mongolian export staples to the Vietnamese market include white horse plasters, sheep wool carpets, fine goat hair products, and products made from leather.

The two sides are in the process of making greater efforts to expand the products that they have strengths in, such as Vietnamese agricultural, aquatic, and consumer products, as well as Mongolia's cattle meat and footwear products.

Regarding co-operation at international and regional forums, the two sides maintain effective and substantive ties and regularly support each other in international and regional issues of common concern.

Mongolia has historically supported the country, including Vietnamese accession to the WTO, the nation's bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2008 to 2009 and 2020 to 2021 terms, its efforts to join the UNESCO Executive Council for the 2010 to 2013 term, and to become a member of  the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) for the 2019 to 2025 term.

It also backs the Vietnamese candidate for the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) for the 2023 to 2028 term.

The Vietnamese side supports Mongolia in joining the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Executive Committee for the 2010 to 2013 term, whilst it stands ready to help Mongolia further expand ties with ASEAN member states and join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) when this organisation admits new members.

On the occasion of his attendance at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin in China in June, at a bilateral meeting with Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam consistently places importance to and wishes to continue to consolidate and strengthen the sound traditional friendship between the two countries.

He suggested that the two sides strive to intensify delegation exchanges, both at central and local levels, thereby further deepening mutual understanding and trust, whilst taking measures to create more favourable conditions for exchanges and interactions between the two countries' people.

Amid global and regional fluctuations, strengthening mutual relations is important to the people of the two countries. The Vietnamese side welcomes and remains ready to serve as a bridge to support Mongolia in expanding and boosting ties with ASEAN for the cause of peace and prosperity throughout the region and the wider world.

In response, Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai affirmed that Mongolia is proud to be a friend of Vietnam, viewing it as a brave and highly independent nation. Indeed, the country has an increasingly strong international position and reputation in the region and the world and is viewed as one of the important economic engines of Asia.

PM Luvsannamsrai therefore proposed that the two sides seek to enhance the role of the Mongolia - Vietnam Intergovernmental Committee and co-operation mechanisms between the two sides. He emphasised that Mongolia desires to further expand and bolster co-operative relations with Vietnam, especially in the fields of transportation, railways, aviation, people-to-people exchanges, and tourism.

During President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh's upcoming visit to Vietnam, the leaders of the two countries will outline important orientation for activities commemorating the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties in 2024, as well as propelling the traditional relationship between the two countries forward in the time ahead.