Energized by President Bush’s Visit to Mongolia , U.S.-Mongolia Ties Deepen Further

By Ambassador Mark C. Minton
 
November 21 marks the anniversary of President George W. Bush’s visit to Ulaanbaatar, the first visit of an American president to Mongolia.  One year ago, President Bush declared in Government House that “America is proud to be Mongolia’s third neighbor.”  The year since that visit has demonstrated that the distance that separates us is far less than the shared values and common interests that unite us.  The comprehensive partnership between Mongolia and the United States is strong and growing.

As President Bush noted while here, Mongolia realizes that “our responsibilities in freedom's cause do not end at our borders, and that survival of liberty in our own lands increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands.”  With U.S. support, Mongolia began to participate in the Community of Democracies as a Convening Group member in the last year, and is responsible for helping to steer this group of democratic states.  In September, at President Bush’s invitation, Prime Minister Enkhbold participated in the President’s roundtable discussion in New York among democratic states.

Mongolian soldiers continue to serve with distinction in Iraq and Afghanistan, and this year have begun to shoulder new responsibilities, protecting the UN war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone, participating in the NATO mission in Kosovo, and serving as UN observers in Sudan and Ethiopia/Eritrea.  Mongolia’s defense transformation and growth in international peacekeeping capacity has been and will be supported by the United States.  U.S. assistance has enabled Mongolia to develop a state-of-the-art facility for peacekeeping training at Five Hills.  In August, with financial backing from the United States, Mongolia hosted a multinational peacekeeping exercise at Five Hills.  The first of millions of dollars in U.S.-funded equipment for Mongolia’s growing number of peacekeeping troops has begun to be delivered.

Peace Corps volunteers who serve throughout Mongolia are a vital part of our people-to-people ties, and of our support for Mongolia’s development.  This year, Peace Corps increased the number of new volunteers, and the total of 103 volunteers is the Peace Corps’ highest in its 15 years here.  This has increased the contribution the volunteers make to Mongolia’s English education, youth development, health education, and business development.  The Peace Corps is celebrating 15 years of service in Mongolia this year, an anniversary that was marked just last week in a ceremony attended by President Enkhbayar.  Altogether, 576 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in Mongolia.

While our aid program continues to support Mongolia’s economic and political development by providing backing for economic policy reform, judicial reform, and business development in rural and urban areas, this is also a year in which American business interest in Mongolia increased sharply.  This is good news for both our nations, since increased U.S. investments promise new jobs and new income for Mongolians.

During President Bush’s visit, Mongolia’s President and Prime Minister asked for increased scholarship opportunities as well as support for English language education   This has been provided.  In August, two State Department English education experts provided a week-long teacher-training workshop attended by 45 teachers and English language textbooks were donated to schools throughout Mongolia.  Just last week, high school students from the ger districts of Ulaanbaatar and the Khovd and Dornod regions were selected for two years of special after-school English classes.  Scholarships have increased to five Fulbright Scholarships, one Humphrey Fellowship, and up to two Foreign Language Teaching Assistant grants to Mongolians every year.  Over the past year, more than 1,400 Mongolian students or exchange visitors received visas for programs in the U.S., expanding our knowledge and understanding of each other.

This was an important year for Mongolia, marking the 800th anniversary of the establishment of a Mongolian state.  During Naadam, Agriculture Secretary Johanns led a delegation representing President Bush for the 800th anniversary celebrations.  He was the third U.S. Cabinet member to visit Mongolia in less than a year.

Fittingly in such an historic year for Mongolia, the U.S. stepped up support for preservation of Mongolia’s proud cultural heritage.  The U.S. proposed a bilateral cultural preservation agreement, which would allow the U.S. government to stop sales and provide the return of illegally exported Mongolian historical and cultural items found in the United States.  Through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, the Embassy recently donated $30,000 to support a survey and documentation of monasteries that were destroyed during the socialist period.

On January 27, 2007 the U.S. and Mongolia will mark the twentieth anniversary of diplomatic relations.  We anticipate that 2007 will present new opportunities for American-Mongolian cooperation.  In an initiative which grew out of Speaker Hastert’s August 2005 visit, the House Democracy Assistance Commission will begin to work with the State Great Hural next year.  American and Mongolian experts have been working together to complete project proposals for Millennium Challenge Account funding, and all remain committed to signing a Compact in 2007 and beginning new U.S. investments in Mongolia’s economic development.

One year ago President Bush said that, “Mongolia has made the transition from communism to freedom, and in just 15 years, you’ve established a vibrant democracy and opened up your economy... I know the transition to liberty has not always been easy and Americans admire your patience and your determination.”  During the last year, Mongolia and the United States have demonstrated that distance is no barrier to a great and growing friendship.  The future for our friendship and partnership looks bright.