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On December 16, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) representatives held a high-level meeting with the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) delegation, represented by the MNCCI President Otgondavaa Amartuvshin and the CEO of the Chamber Duuren Tumenjargal.
Sergei Krasilnikov, Vice-President and Managing Director for International Bilateral Cooperation of the RSPP, underlined positive dynamics of trade between Russia and Mongolia, which amounted to $ 1.4 billion in 2020. He also mentioned that the RSPP would like to conclude a bilateral cooperation agreement with the MNCCI. In addition, he stressed the importance of establishing cooperation between the MNCCI and the Business Council of the Eurasian Economic Union, of which the RSPP is a member.
Otgondavaa Amartuvshin said that Russia is Mongolia's most important trade partner. He acknowledged the drastic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the bilateral cooperation between Mongolia and Russia, but he expressed the hope to reinvigorate the partnership soon.
Duuren Tumenjargal added that Mongolia hopes to deep cooperation with Russia in all areas. He also supposed that establishing a cross-border free industrial zone between Mongolia and Russia is a promising project. It will allow exporting the goods to the third countries' markets using the potential of trade agreements of both countries with other partners. Thus, Mongolia has concluded comprehensive partnership agreements with Japan and the European Union.
Otgondavaa Amartuvshin also underlined the importance of the Russia-Mongolia-China trilateral economic corridor as one of the top priority areas for developing cooperation. He stressed the interests of the Mongolian party regarding the construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to China through Mongolia. Another priority project is the construction of a railway in Mongolia, which will connect the central part of Russia and Western China. He suggested that constructing the railway to China through Mongolia is of great interest for Russian entrepreneurs as it will provide a cheap and stable entry to the Chinese market. He stressed that implementing these projects would be a priority for Mongolia in the coming years.
In this regard, Sergey Mikhnevich, Managing director of the Department of the International Multilateral Cooperation and Integration of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, said that Russian Railways is one of the significant members of the RSPP. Therefore, it will be advisable to work out these projects together with the RSPP working bodies with the participation of the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI) and North-East Asia Business Association (NEA BA), operating under the auspices of the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI). Moreover, Mongolia will chair the GTI in 2022, and the MNCCI will assume the NEA BA presidency.
The NEA BA was created in 2019 and became the first international multilateral association of national businesses in Northeast Asia. The members of the association are the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and (KCCI) and the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI).
In 2021 the RSPP assumed the NEA BA presidency. The RSPP stewarded the elaboration of the Strategic Action Plan for 2022-2024 and the Work Plan for 2022 of NEA BA and released the NEA BA Chairman's Statement on the development of the business cooperation for post-COVID recovery. The Statement notes the readiness of the region's business community to contribute to the sustainable socio-economic development of the region's economies to overcome the consequences of the pandemic as soon as possible. Sergei Mikhnevich expressed the hope that the results of RSPP work will contribute to the strengthening cooperation within the Association framework under the Mongolian chairmanship in 2022.
At the end of the meeting, the RSPP representatives and the MNCCI leaders agreed to intensify cooperation in all key areas.