Ulaanbaatar, June 22: During his visit to Mongolia, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized that India and Mongolia are not only strategic partners but also share a spiritual bond.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Mongolia’s Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh, Jaishankar stated, “India and Mongolia are strategic partners, and we are also spiritual siblings. Our relationship is based on deep civilizational and spiritual ties, shared democratic values, aspirations for development, and strong connections between our peoples.”
Last year, India and Mongolia celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations.
Jaishankar noted that a primary goal of his visit was to review the decisions and progress from the discussions held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mongolia’s President Ukhna Khurelsukh during the latter’s visit to India last year.
He mentioned, “We discussed every aspect of our bilateral cooperation, including development-related partnerships. The oil refinery project is particularly significant.”
An oil refinery project is underway in Altanshire, Dornogovi province, Mongolia. The Indian government has extended a soft line of credit (LoC) of $1.7 billion for this project, marking it as the largest soft line of credit initiative by India globally.
Jaishankar also met with the Speaker of Mongolia’s Parliament, Dashjigmed Amarbayasgalan.
On the social media platform ‘X’, he expressed, “I welcome their support to strengthen parliamentary ties and friendship between India and Mongolia. I reaffirmed my commitment to deepening people-centric development partnerships.”
He also met with Mongolia’s Education Minister L. Enkh-Amgalan and former President Nambaryn Enkhbayar, highlighting the importance of their support in strengthening the India-Mongolia strategic partnership.
Jaishankar concluded his visit with a meeting with President Ukhna Khurelsukh, conveying the best wishes of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He remarked, “I value their guidance in advancing our strong cooperation across various sectors. I completely agree that the greatest friendship is a spiritual one.”
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