Fourth meeting of INDIA-MONGOLIA Joint Committee on Cooperation

The 4th Meeting of the India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation was held in New Delhi on 21 March 2013. It was jointly chaired by E. Ahamed, Minister of State for External Affairs of India, and Luvsannyam Gantumur, Minister for Education and Science of Mongolia. The Joint Committee reviewed the entire range of issues in India-Mongolia relations.

The Indian side conveyed that Indian companies were interested in playing a larger role in the Mongolian mineral processing and mining industry, and expressed the hope that a favourable environment for their operations could be created.

The Indian side reiterated its support for Mongolia’s development processes and reaffirmed that it is modernizing the Rajiv Gandhi Polytechnic College of Production and Art in Ulaanbaatar. The Indian side is also considering setting up a milk processing plant in Mongolia. Implementation of the Line of Credit of US $20 million extended by India to Mongolia for setting up an India-Mongolia Joint Information Technology Education and Outsourcing Center in Ulaanbaatar was discussed.

Discussions during the Joint Committee Meeting also focused on continuation of joint military exercises, the proposed visit of an Indian business delegation to Mongolia this summer, the possibility of launching air services between India and Mongolia and the establishment of an India-Mongolia Joint School. The 5th Meeting of the Joint Committee on Cooperation will be held in Mongolia in 2014.