Mongolia began providing electronic signatures to all citizens aged 16 and up on Monday, according to the country's General Authority for State Registration.

The electronic signatures will be provided to citizens of the aforementioned ages for a period of five years, said the authorities.

In 2020, the Mongolian government announced its five-year plan to build a "digital nation."

Mongolia is an East Asian country with a population of 3.4 million, of which 2.2 million are 16 years of age or over.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Sunday indirectly urged his Mongolian counterpart Batmunkh Battsetseg to join international pressure on Russia in response to its aggression in Ukraine.

In a meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Hayashi told Battsetseg that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine violates international law and shakes the foundation of international order also in Asia, and therefore global solidarity is strongly required, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (L) and Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg hold talks in Ulaanbaatar on May 1, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Japan's Foreign Ministry)(Kyodo)

Battsetseg "gave explanations based on Mongolia's position," the ministry said, apparently reflecting Ulaanbaatar's reluctance to align with Western nations that have imposed severe economic sanctions on Russia.

Besides conveying that position, it was not known how she responded to Hayashi's request, except saying it is important to immediately bring about a cease-fire and ease the tense situation in Ukraine, according to a Japanese government official.

Mongolia, a landlocked country in East Asia sandwiched by China and Russia, has long been highly dependent on the two big powers in terms of energy supplies, trade and even electricity especially in the western part, according to the Japanese ministry.

In early March, Mongolia abstained from voting on a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, which ended up being adopted with the approval of 141 out of the 193 members of the United Nations.

After their first in-person meeting as foreign ministers, Hayashi and Battsetseg signed an agreement for 260 million yen ($2 million) in Japanese aid to host young Mongolian government officials at graduate schools in Japan.

Given that Mongolia has close ties with North Korea, the ministers agreed to maintain their cooperation in dealing with Pyongyang's missile and nuclear development, as well as the issue of its abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.

Later Sunday, Hayashi visited the Shine Mongol Harumafuji School, founded in 2018 with support from Harumafuji, a Mongolian-born former sumo wrestler who rose to the sport's highest rank of yokozuna.

The Japanese foreign minister also had talks with Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene.

Hayashi is on a five-day trip from last Thursday, during which he also visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

On Monday, Hayashi will meet with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh before leaving for Japan.

Nationwide preventive checkups and early detection campaign started from yesterday, May 1.

During the opening ceremony, Minister of Health S.Enkhbold emphasized, “This one-year nationwide campaign has three key goals. Contribution to the post-COVID-19 rehabilitation treatment is a priority. Secondly, we aim to make it a habit for every citizen to have regular preventive and early-detection checkups, and thirdly to reduce the incidence of five most common deceases in Mongolia.”

Medical checkups are being conducted in urban hospitals and mobile health clinics in remote areas.

In Mongolia, the leading causes of morbidity are gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and urogenital diseases, injuries, and poisoning. The leading causes of death are cardiovascular diseases, cancer, injuries, poisoning, gastrointestinal disorders and respiratory diseases.

While multiple European leaders have publicly proclaimed they won’t buy Russian gas in rubles as Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded, 10 EU countries are technically going along with Putin’s plan, Hungarian official Gergely Gulyas told public radio on Sunday. According to Gulyas, these countries’ leaders aren’t admitting this in order to be seen as “being a good European.”

Gulyas said that Hungary has opened a euro account with Russia’s Gazprombank, which then converts payments into rubles before transferring them to suppliers in Russia. This system allows European buyers to comply with Putin’s demand, made in late March, that “unfriendly” countries switch to Russia’s national currency to buy its natural gas.

“There are nine other countries using the same payment scheme, but because today the idea of being a good European also means that the leaders of those countries are not honest when speaking either in the international arena or to their own people, the other nine countries won’t say that they are doing the same thing,” said Gulyas, who serves as Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff.

“There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that countries importing raw materials from Russia use exactly the same method to pay for Russian gas,” he added.

It is unclear which EU countries Guylas was referring to. Russian energy giant Gazprom has already shut off supplies to Poland and Bulgaria after both refused to pay in rubles, but a Bloomberg report last week stated, as Gulyas did, that 10 of the bloc’s member states have already set up accounts with Gazprombank, and four have actually paid for Russian gas using this mechanism.

Hungary depends on Russia for all of its gas imports, and has therefore opposed EU sanctions on this critical commodity. Gulyas reiterated this commitment to Russian energy and opposition to Brussels’ sanctions regime on Sunday.

“We mustn’t adopt sanctions with which we primarily penalize ourselves instead of those we want to sanction,” he said, referring to soaring energy costs throughout Europe. While the government in Budapest has condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Guylas said that it would “continue to buy our energy at the cheapest possible price” to offset any costs on the Hungarian people.

May 1 (Reuters) - Russian gas producer Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said it was supplying natural gas to Europe via Ukraine on Sunday in line with requests from European consumers.

Requests stood at 97.2 million cubic metres (mcm) for May 1, up from 71.7 mcm on Saturday.

Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge

On Wednesday, Russian energy giant Gazprom halted gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland via the Yamal-Europe pipeline for not complying with the mandate to pay in rubles. It is the first supply disruption since Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded “unfriendly countries” pay for natural gas in Russian currency from April 1 or risk being cut off from vital supplies.

How will EU countries cover the supply shortfall?

The European Union reportedly plans to significantly increase purchases of Russian gas through states that are ready to pay in rubles to compensate for the shortfall in supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. The so-called ‘reverse flow’ mechanism could allow the two countries to boost imports from their neighbors in the short-term. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports could be another option, but there is a limit to how much LNG suppliers can produce and transport. Moreover, the global liquefaction capacity is almost fully utilized, experts say. Some EU countries have no alternative as they are landlocked and therefore unable to receive shipments. According to experts, those options won’t be able to help the EU members replace any missing supplies from Russia.

What is Gazprom’s position?

The Russian energy giant has made it clear that the suspension of gas supplies would persist until the payments are made in rubles. Gazprom warned both Poland and Bulgaria, which are transit states, against any “unauthorized withdrawal” of gas supplies flowing through their territories. Otherwise, supplies for transit will be “reduced by this volume.”

How has the EU responded?

The European Commission has accused the Russian company of contract breach, describing the decision to halt supplies as attempted “blackmail.” Brussels said it was coordinating a response among EU member states.

What does the cut-off mean for Poland and Bulgaria?

Both countries heavily rely on Russian natural gas. Supplies from Gazprom cover about 50% of Poland’s consumption and about 90% of Bulgaria’s. According to the Federal Customs Service of Russia, gas supplies to Poland increased by 9.4% in 2021 to 10.58 billion cubic meters. Deliveries to Bulgaria have doubled to 3.15 billion cubic meters. Polish officials say the country has sufficient gas reserves and there will be no shortage of gas in Polish homes as its gas storage was 76% full. Bulgaria’s government also said there would be no domestic restrictions on consumption, pointing out that supplies to customers were guaranteed for at least another month. Both countries are also trying to boost LNG imports.

Could the halted imports be restored?

Gazprom said supplies would resume once the payments in Russian currency were made. The new payment mechanism allows buyers to pay in their currency of choice, but they must open up a ruble account in Russia’s Gazprombank so that the payments can be converted into rubles and reach Russian gas providers.

Which European countries are most dependent on Russian gas?

The engines of the continent’s overall economy – Germany, Italy, and France – are the biggest EU importers of Russian gas. Germany imports around half of its gas from Moscow, while France gets a fifth of its supply, according to the latest data by Statista. Italy is also among the major consumers, relying on Russia for 46% of its imported gas. Some smaller European countries, such as North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova rely exclusively on Russian energy. Finland and Latvia get 90% of their gas supply from Russia, and Serbia 89%.

Is anyone willing to pay rubles for gas?

Despite their heavy reliance on Russian energy, some of the EU buyers have rejected the Kremlin’s payment terms. However, others, like Austria and Hungary, say they have accepted the new mechanism and are ready to abide by it. Hungary’s next payment obligation for Russian gas is due in mid-May, and the country will transfer its payment in euros to Gazprombank, where the amount will be converted into rubles, the country’s foreign minister said. Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing sources close to the Russian gas giant, that ten European companies have already opened ruble accounts at Gazprombank. Four European gas buyers have paid for the supplies in Russian currency, the sources said.

What happens if they refuse?

President Putin has clearly demanded that buyers from ‘unfriendly’ countries pay for gas in rubles or be cut off, starting from the date payments are due for April. “If such payments are not made, we will consider this a default on the part of buyers, with all the ensuing consequences. Nobody sells us anything for free, and we are not going to do charity either – that is, existing contracts will be stopped,” he said last month.

Can Europe replace Russian gas?

It won’t be an easy task, economists say, noting that doing so would require major changes. The European Union relies on Russian natural gas to heat homes, cook meals, and generate electricity in most of the bloc’s 27 member states. Weaning Europe off of cheap and abundant Russian gas would be a far more disruptive prospect, experts warn. Some EU officials acknowledged that a sudden shift from Russian energy would be hard, causing a recession and inflation in the European economy.

On Tuesday, May 3 at 19:30 GMT: In Mongolia a protest that began in the city centre of Ulaanbaatar has now mostly moved online, and has become known as the Ажлаа хий (Do your job) protests.

In early April, young Mongolians gathered in Sukhbaatar Square for two days of peaceful demonstrations. They said they had no political affiliation but gathered to voice their concerns about the state of the economy, dissatisfaction with taxation, a lack of job opportunities, poor allocation of resources, and to call for an independent judiciary that can provide checks and balances for parliamentarians’ financial reports. They delivered a list of fifteen demands to the government, including measures to prevent inflation and support industrialisation.

But the demonstration was not completely peaceful. According to some protesters, after the gathering dispersed about 20 individuals were arrested by the police and beaten, with images going viral on Mongolian social media.

In response, Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai convened an extraordinary session of parliament to discuss the protesters’ grievances.

Mongolia has been devastated by the global pandemic. In 2020 it closed its borders, shut down businesses, and banned international travel. The economy then suffered its worst decline since the 1990s and almost 260,000 more people fell into poverty. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has fuelled inflation, food shortages, and high fuel prices as Mongolia remains highly dependent on Russia.

In this episode we’ll look at the “do your job” movement, the economic problems facing young Mongolians, and how the Russian invasion of Ukraine has affected the country.

In this episode of The Stream, we are joined by:

Zhar Zardykhan

Greater Central Asia Editor, Global Voices

Anand Tumurtogoo, @AnandDairtan

Mongolian journalist

Khulan Jugder, @KhulanJ

Creator, The Media Show Mongolia podcast and newsletter

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has appointed Sun Shaocheng as new Party chief for the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Shi Taifeng, who no longer serves as secretary of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Committee of the CPC, will be given another appointment, according to a decision by the CPC Central Committee.

We had an interview with consultant economist, leader of the research team to develop a feasibility study for light rail transit B.Davaasuren regarding the LRT project.

“In Ulaanbaatar, there is no possibility to reduce traffic congestion by paving a road due to the annual import of 70-80 thousand vehicles on average. Therefore, the LRT project is a key solution to reducing traffic congestion. it was considered more appropriate for LRT to have a pier bridge in Ulaanbaatar”, he says.

-How much is the LRT project needed in Ulaanbaatar?

-Centralization and traffic congestion have become a long-standing issue in Ulaanbaatar. Also, there is a necessity to connect new sub-centers and satellite cities. Citizens can't be provided with potential service with only high-capacity vehicles, buses, and private cars.

Therefore, major upgrades are needed in the transport system. According to the study of many years, the most convenient and sizeable vehicle in our country is LRT. Traffic congestion is expected to reduce by 25 percent with the introduction of LRT in public transport.

-People tend to assume that the subway is more suitable for Ulaanbaatar than LRT. What are the advantages of the LRT over the subway?

-A lot of research has been made on public transportation over the years. As a result, it was suggested that LRT could be the beginning of a major change in public transport due to several factors. First, the subway costs at least USD 150 million per kilometer. This price will increase depending on the geographical location and depth, so the subway is not suitable for our current state of the economy. Building a subway in Ulaanbaatar city which has a population of almost 1.5 million is not the ideal option. Subway and LRT are similar in content, both of which are unobstructed, serve citizens according to a set schedule, are accident-free and comfortable, and LRT offers many other economic benefits. For example, a favorable business environment can be created with the establishment of LRT stations.

-What are the cost estimates for the project?

The project is estimated to cost USD 926 million to build an 18.1 km road with 15 stations. Land and high voltage line acquisition, road expansion costs, as well as rising commodity prices, and exchange rate fluctuations were also taken into account.

-The Standing Committee on Budget has concluded that it is not possible to include the cost estimates in the 2022 budget amendment. How accurate do you think the conclusion was? How well did the standing committee get acquainted with the project?

The decision has to be made based on a thorough study and opinions of the members of the State Great Khural. Of course, it is difficult to allocate such an amount of funding amid Mongolia’s current situation of external debts. However, the development issues facing the country should not be postponed. Addressing these types of issues will significantly contribute to the city’s economic development.

CAPITAL CITY TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY

In the framework of ensuring the implementation of the One Billion Trees national movement initiated by the President of Mongolia, Chief of Staff of the Office of the President Ya.Sodbaatar made a working visit to Istanbul, Turkey.

During his visit, he held a meeting with Istanbul Regional Director of Forestry Yusuf Sahin to discuss the current policy being implemented for the forestry sector in Turkey as well as forestry management and afforestation.

In the country, a sectoral policy is currently being implemented through the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the General Directorate of Forestry of Turkey, and its regional offices. Established in 1839, the Istanbul Regional Directorate of Forestry is in charge of the local forests which make up over 40 percent of the city’s territory.

The Chief of Staff of the Office of the President highlighted the opportunity to cooperate with the Republic of Turkey in developing Mongolia’s forestry sector, building capacity, increasing the types of trees and shrubs planted in the country, and developing green spaces near cities.

The sides agreed to cooperate in carrying out works, and discussed organizing mutual visits and exchanges between the two countries.

A project that was implemented on protecting Terkos Lake, a source of drinking water for Istanbul’s residents, from desertification was introduced during the meeting. In the framework of the project, species of trees that were considered suitable for the region began to be planted from 1961, afforesting 2,102 hectares of area by 1987.

Domestically sourcing the seedlings and saplings to be planted for the year, the country of Turkey currently plans to plant 160 million trees nationwide in 2022.