Mongolia and the UK established diplomatic relations in 1963. Mongolia proudly recalls the UK as the first Western country to recognise its restoration of independence in 1911 and establish diplomatic ties. The 60th anniversary was celebrated in the UK in 2023, with numerous high-level visits and cultural events, including a grand reception at The Dorchester hotel and the ‘Mongol Khan’ Mongolian theatrical performance at the London Coliseum.

This strategic dialogue, however, took place at a pivotal time in international relations. Discussions covered the geopolitical landscape both countries operate in and explored ways to address shared challenges, alongside bilateral issues such as the economy, energy security, climate change, and people-to-people engagement. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening cooperation in trade and investment, as well as education and English language teaching in Mongolia. They also emphasised the importance of media freedom, gender equality, and Mongolia’s role as an active democracy in the region. The UK welcomed Mongolia’s 1 Billion Trees initiative and its hosting of COP17 on desertification in 2026. Back in 2021, Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa recognised that the desertification of his country posed serious problems, so he proposed the 1 Billion Trees project in an attempt to reverse the damage already done by planting one billion trees on an accelerated timeline. To that end, 41.5 million trees were planted in 2023 alone.

Mayor of Ulaanbaatar Nyambaatar Khishgee presented the ‘Ulaanbaatar Metro’ project at the strategic dialogue. Mongolia is working towards building its first-ever metro system in its capital city, Ulaanbaatar, and is exploring the possibility of funding the project through a UKEF loan guarantee. The metro project presents an opportunity for UK businesses to enter the Mongolian market. Additionally, it offers the UK a chance to support democracy in Mongolia through positive social change.

Mongolia has declared English as its first official foreign language and has started teaching English to children beginning in third grade at the primary school level. Building the capacity of English teachers has become a crucial issue for implementing this policy, and ways to cooperate with the UK in this regard were discussed during the roundtable.

Since 2013, over 180 young Mongolians have studied and graduated from prestigious British universities under the Chevening Scholarship programme, funded by the two countries. Both sides expressed a strong desire to continue and expand this scholarship programme. As the Memorandum of Understanding for the Chevening Scholarship programme is set to expire in April 2025, they agreed to renew the memorandum in order to increase the number of Mongolian recipients of the scholarship.

Finally, Minister West and Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan reaffirmed the strong partnership between the UK and Mongolia, built on shared democratic values, open societies, and a growing economic relationship.

As part of his official visit to the UK, Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan also met with Gareth Thomas MP, UK Minister for Exports to discuss bilateral cooperation.

During the meeting, the two sides held extensive discussions on enhancing trade and economic cooperation, strengthening the strategic partnership, and boosting trade turnover by leveraging the UK Government’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS).

Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan introduced key measures and major projects being implemented by the Mongolian government to improve the foreign investment climate and business environment.

Minister Gareth Thomas expressed appreciation for the long-standing cooperation between the two countries, which has been steadily growing since 1963. He emphasised the UK’s commitment to expanding the variety and volume of traded goods.

This meeting was also attended by the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, who once again presented the ‘Ulaanbaatar Metro’ project and discussed potential cooperation with the UK in its implementation.

On the same day, the Embassy of Mongolia in London, British Expertise International, and the Mongolian British Chamber of Commerce jointly organised the business forum, ‘Opportunities for UK expertise in Mongolia.’