Mongolia and Japan will advance bilateral economic relations into more strategic development of “comprehensive partnership”, two countries agreed this week in Tokyo.
On July 29, visiting Minister of Minerals and Energy D.Zorigt met with Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada who reaffirmed Japan’s strong interest in the development of Mongolia’s major mining projects.
Okada stated that Japan highly expects the realization of participation by Japanese companies in the development of the Tavan Tolgoi coal mine. Currently Japanese businesses have expressed interests in participating Tavan Tolgoi, high grade coking coal mine in Omnogobi province, and have already stepped into Mongolia’s uranium properties in the eastern part of the country.
Minister Zorigt said that Japan was a “third neighboring country”, and that in order to build a mutually beneficial relationship with Japan, which has state-of-the-art technology, there was no change in Mongolia’s policy of supporting the participation of Japanese companies.
In June, first meeting of the Joint Public-Private Research on a Japan-Mongolia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was held in Ulaanbaatar. Parties agreed to cooperate in order for the research to move smoothly and swiftly toward the start of negotiations for the EPA.
In a separate meeting with Kenzo Oshima, Vice President of JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency), Minister Zorigt requested the Japanese side to accelerate construction project of new international airport, and welcomed Japanese investments to establishing a new power plant in Ulaanbaatar.