Mongolia and France have signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in Nuclear Energy.
Mongolia’s Foreign Minister G.Zandanshatar and visiting French Minister of State for Foreign Trade Anne-Marie Idrac inked the document, after holding the talks.
Another document signed was a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in security and emergency. The document will boost efficient partnership between Mongolian and French civil security and emergency bodies.
“The nuclear energy agreement, which is of great importance for the expansion of bilateral relationships, would open more opportunities of bilateral cooperation in many other fields” said Foreign Minister Zandanshatar, at a press conference held after the signing ceremony.
He noted that main issues raised by Mongolia during the visit by French minister included France’s support for projects on water supply and water pollution and the development and realization of a mid-term cooperation program based on existing agreements and pacts, as well as cooperation in food security projects for Mongolia. “France welcomed Mongolia’s proposals and agreed to boost effective collaboration in proposed fields” he concluded.
On her part, French Minister Anne-Marie Idrac said France and Mongolia has a good cooperation, but it needs to be intensified. For this reason, representatives from over twenty firms arrived from France to expand economic and investment cooperation, she informed. Idrac said that the newly-signed intergovernmental agreement will be the basis for operation of Areva, a world-class uranium company, in Mongolia. “At the meeting with the Defense Minister L.Bold, we talked about the supplying helicopters to Mongolia” emphasized Idrac.
During her stay in Ulaanbaatar, the French Minister met with the President Elbegdorj Tsakhia, the Parliament Speaker Demberel Damdin and Defense Minister L.Bold. under the visit, French and Mongolian businessmen held a forum, where wide range issue concerning the cooperation in some priority fields are discussed.
French Minister of State for Foreign Trade Anne-Marie Idrac will also meet with the Road, Transport, Construction and Urban Building J.Battulga and the Finance Minister S.Bayartsogt and will visit to Cashmere Factory “Gobi”.
In Mongolia, the visit of Anne-Marie Idrac is the first by a French minister since 2003 and is thus a major event in our bilateral relationship. France is a major economic and political partner for Mongolia, which was honored with the symbolic status of “third neighbor”.
