1 PRIME MINISTER OYUN-ERDENE VISITS EGIIN GOL HYDROPOWER PLANT PROJECT SITE WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/30      2 ‘I FELT CAUGHT BETWEEN CULTURES’: MONGOLIAN MUSICIAN ENJI ON HER BEGUILING, BORDER-CROSSING MUSIC WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/30      3 POWER OF SIBERIA 2: ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OR GEOPOLITICAL RISK FOR MONGOLIA? WWW.THEDIPLOMAT.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      4 UNITED AIRLINES TO LAUNCH FLIGHTS TO MONGOLIA IN MAY WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      5 SIGNATURE OF OIL SALES AGREEMENT FOR BLOCK XX PRODUCTION WWW.RESEARCH-TREE.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      6 MONGOLIA ISSUES E-VISAS TO 11,575 FOREIGNERS IN Q1 WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      7 KOREA AN IDEAL PARTNER TO HELP MONGOLIA GROW, SEOUL'S ENVOY SAYS WWW.KOREAJOONGANGDAILY.JOINS.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      8 MONGOLIA TO HOST THE 30TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF ASIA SECURITIES FORUM WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      9 BAGAKHANGAI-KHUSHIG VALLEY RAILWAY PROJECT LAUNCHES WWW.UBPOST.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/29      10 THE MONGOLIAN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND FDI: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITY WWW.MELVILLEDALAI.COM  PUBLISHED:2025/04/28      849 ТЭРБУМЫН ӨРТӨГТЭЙ "ГАШУУНСУХАЙТ-ГАНЦМОД" БООМТЫН ТЭЗҮ-Д ТУРШЛАГАГҮЙ, МОНГОЛ 2 КОМПАНИ ҮНИЙН САНАЛ ИРҮҮЛЭВ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     ХУУЛЬ БУСААР АШИГЛАЖ БАЙСАН "БОГД УУЛ" СУВИЛЛЫГ НИЙСЛЭЛ ӨМЧЛӨЛДӨӨ БУЦААВ WWW.NEWS.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     МЕТРО БАРИХ ТӨСЛИЙГ ГҮЙЦЭТГЭХЭЭР САНАЛАА ӨГСӨН МОНГОЛЫН ГУРВАН КОМПАНИ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     "UPC RENEWABLES" КОМПАНИТАЙ ХАМТРАН 2400 МВТ-ЫН ХҮЧИН ЧАДАЛТАЙ САЛХИН ЦАХИЛГААН СТАНЦ БАРИХААР БОЛОВ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     ОРОСЫН МОНГОЛ УЛС ДАХЬ ТОМООХОН ТӨСЛҮҮД ДЭЭР “ГАР БАРИХ” СОНИРХОЛ БА АМБИЦ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/30     МОНГОЛ, АНУ-ЫН ХООРОНД ТАВДУГААР САРЫН 1-НЭЭС НИСЛЭГ ҮЙЛДЭНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     ЕРӨНХИЙ САЙД Л.ОЮУН-ЭРДЭНЭ ЭГИЙН ГОЛЫН УЦС-ЫН ТӨСЛИЙН ТАЛБАЙД АЖИЛЛАЖ БАЙНА WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     Ц.ТОД-ЭРДЭНЭ: БИЧИГТ БООМТЫН ЕРӨНХИЙ ТӨЛӨВЛӨГӨӨ БАТЛАГДВАЛ БУСАД БҮТЭЭН БАЙГУУЛАЛТЫН АЖЛУУД ЭХЛЭХ БОЛОМЖ БҮРДЭНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     MCS-ИЙН ХОЁР ДАХЬ “УХАА ХУДАГ”: БНХАУ, АВСТРАЛИТАЙ ХАМТРАН ЭЗЭМШДЭГ БАРУУН НАРАНГИЙН ХАЙГУУЛЫГ УЛСЫН ТӨСВӨӨР ХИЙЖЭЭ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29     АМ.ДОЛЛАРЫН ХАНШ ТОГТВОРЖИЖ 3595 ТӨГРӨГ БАЙНА WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/29    

Events

Name organizer Where
MBCC “Doing Business with Mongolia seminar and Christmas Receptiom” Dec 10. 2024 London UK MBCCI London UK Goodman LLC

NEWS

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130 thousand tons of refined fuel reserved www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Minister of Environment and Tourism and the head of the National Committee for Environmental Pollution Reduction N.Tserenbat got familiarized with the production process of refined fuel at the site.

Household in ger areas need a total of 600 thousand tons of fuel during the cold seasons. Currently, some 130 thousand tons of refined fuel were produced and reserved. It will be distributed through 500 points in Ulaanbaatar, 40 of which are for storage and the remaining for the sales. The refined fuel will be sold to the households by a special card, which will be red by card terminal or an application. Thus, it is assumed that there will be no complications with the purchase.

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Mongolia receives its first cargo aircraft www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONSTAME/ The first cargo airplane of Mongolia Boeing 737-700 landed at Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Buyant-Ukhaa on July 20. Present at the aircraft receiving ceremony were Minister of Road and Transport Development, MP B.Enkh-Amgalan and officials of the ministry, authorities of Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia and the board of ‘Mongolian Airways Cargo’.

The Boeing 737-700 cargo aircraft purchased by ‘Mongolian Airways Cargo’ is a remarkable event in the history of Mongolia’s aviation industry, noted the industry specialists.

Mongolia has the exclusive rights to make frequent cargo flights to the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, which have not been used until now. The acquisition of the first cargo airplane makes it possible to use the exclusive rights.

The Boeing 737-700 is one of the most reliable and safe aircrafts in the world for which 11 thousand models were produced. It has the capacity of carrying 20 tons of freight with a range of 5250 km.

Mongolia will make cargo flights to Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hohhot, Seoul, Hong Kong, Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude and the countries of Central Asia. In addition to meat, meat products, wool, cashmere and rare-earth elements, it is possible to transport mining equipment, large items and special cargo from Mongolia. Moreover, it is planned to transport ecological fruits, special and express cargo from the Soviet Central Asia in a short time.

With the completion of its cargo terminal, ‘Mongolian Airways Cargo’ will provide international express mail and a comprehensive logistics services to the customers.

With the funding of foreign banks and financial institutions, the company is expecting to receive another cargo aircraft in the near future.

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Heavy rainfall hits greater part of territory of Mongolia www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Heavy rain hit Mongolia, bringing a significant rise in the water levels of all major rivers and floods to many Mongolian provinces, said authorities on Tuesday.

"The water levels in major rivers, including Eruu, Kherlen, Selenge, Kharkhiraa and Khovd have exceeded the warning levels by 10-20 centimeters due to heavy downpours since Monday," the country's National Agency for Meteorology and Environmental Monitoring said in a statement.

The agency warned residents living along the rivers to take all necessary precautions, while meteorologists forecasted that short-term thunderstorms are expected over most parts of the country in the coming days.

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ADB backs Mongolian equality drive www.publicfinanceinternational.org

The Asian Development Bank has put itself at the forefront of continuing efforts to boost gender equality in Mongolia.

It has agreed a $500,000 technical assistance initiative to help civil society organisations implement equality measures throughout the country.

The move will reinforce progress reducing the gender gap that has made the country something of a beacon in the East Asian region whose World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap ranking places it well above more developed rivals such as Singapore.

“This technical assistance is ADB’s third standalone project promoting gender equality in Mongolia that is financed by the government of Japan through the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction,” said Declan Magee, ADB deputy country director for Mongolia.

“It is closely aligned with one of the key operational priorities of ADB’s Strategy 2030 – to accelerate progress in gender equality.”

The ADB’s technical assistance project will extend its collaboration with civil society groups in Mongolia through focused training and socially inclusive and gender-responsive “learning-by-doing” approaches.

The project will build on previous ADB support to ensure the practical application of existing policy documents on gender equality in the country.

The ADB has actively engaged with the National Committee on Gender Equality of Mongolia since 2009.

This has included providing support for the country to design and adopt a gender equality law, as well as capacity building for effective enforcement of it.

Mongolia has made significant strides in improving equality, and according to some WEF indicators such as the economic participation and opportunities enjoyed by women is on a par with developed countries such as the US.

There are a considerable number of women in parliament and in ministerial positions, and in terms of reducing the WEF’s Health and Survival gender gap – the differences between women’s and men’s health – the country enjoys joint first position globally.

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MBD (B2B) Business offers # 19 www.mongolianbusinessdatabase.com

www.mongolianbusinessdatabase.com is the number 1 ranking B2B portal site on Google's "Mongolia business or/and Business Mongolia" search according to the business visitors access from appx 90 countries as of today (Google analytics report).

Please review the following MBD business offers as package number 19 and feel free to visit www.mongolianbusinessdatabase.com for more information on each offer and contact us.
MBD Admin: contact@mongolianbusinessdatabase.com

Pumps (PR China)
Looking for the partner

Buckwheat, oats, barley, peas (Russia)
Looking for the partner

Seed processing plant (Turkey)
Looking for the partner

Artificial tree and flower (PR China)
Looking for the partner

Portable toilets (PR China)
Looking for the partner

Container bags, pallets etc (PR China)
Looking for the partner

Collapsible tube (UK)
Looking for distributor

Animal stunners (UK)
Looking for distributor

Food processing plants (Czech)
Looking for the partner

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Mongolia’s inflation rate rises above central bank’s target to 8.1pc www.daily-sun.com

ULAN BATOR: Mongolia's inflation rate increased to 8.1 percent in June from 7.9 percent in the previous month, the country's central bank's spokesperson Ariun Dagva said Monday.

Earlier, experts said the central bank will not allow inflation to rise above 8 percent, reports Xinhua.

It was the highest inflation since December 2018, Dagva told Xinhua, adding that inflation in Mongolia, as in many other countries, is calculated on the basis of the consumer price index for goods and services.
The inflation was directly affected by the rise in prices of meat and meat products, which amounted to 31.6 percent. During this period, prices and tariffs for housing services, water, electricity, gas and other types of fuel increased by 8.8 percent.

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Joint working group of cooperation between Iran, Mongolia to be formed www.en.irna.ir

Mahmoud Hojjati, the Agriculture Jihad Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, arrived in Mongolia on Monday, conferred with Mongolian Minister of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry Choltmen Olan in the capital, Ulan Bator.

The two sides emphasized the political will of the two countries' officials and the increase in the exchange of official delegations between the two countries as an important milestone in promoting bilateral relations and in its continuation and increase.

At the meeting, the ministers of agriculture of the two countries also exchanged views on the development of trade-related bilateral relations and increased agricultural exports.

At the end of the meeting, the heads of the veterinary services agencies of the two countries signed a mutual cooperation agreement on the international animal health requirements between the two countries, which is an important step for the development of cooperation in this regard.

Iran's Minister of Agriculture Jihad had previously traveled to Mongolia in January 2015. Mongolia with five million square meters and a population of three million, has 70 million animals.

Since Mongolian President's visit to Iran in 2012, strong will has been created to develop relations between the two countries.

This is year is the 48th year of establishing a friendly relationship between Iran and Mongolia.

The Minister of Agricultural Jihad is expected to travel to China after Mongolia.

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Zumtobel Group receives million-euro contract for infrastructure project from Mongolian government www.zumtobelgroup.com

Dornbirn, Austria / Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – The international lighting group Zumtobel Group has secured a contract in the low double-digit million range with the Mongolian government for a comprehensive street lighting project in the north of Mongolia’s capital. Roughly 11,000 LED lights of the Thorn brand will be installed in previously unlit streets and squares, thus contributing to increasing the standard of living in public space. The aim is to use light to reduce the crime rate and enhance safety on a sustained basis. In addition, the provision of essential infrastructure such as lighting is a key factor for attracting companies and therefore serves the overall economic upswing in the region.

The Mongolian government therefore puts great expectations in the implementation of the Zumtobel Group’s lighting project in order to enable substantial improvements in everyday life for a previously disadvantaged population group. Around 200,000 people live in the provinces of Darkhan-Uul and Selenge in the north of Mongolia.

“Light is an essential element to improve the standards of living in public space. We are therefore pleased to be able to contribute a little to improving safety with our lighting project and, consequently, to Mongolia’s economic development in the long term,” Alfred Felder, CEO Zumtobel Group, commented on the successful conclusion of the project.

In this project, the Zumtobel Group offers a turn-key end-to-end solution comprising not only a high-quality lighting system, but also services including project management, planning, delivery, commissioning as well as training and regular maintenance. To date, the Zumtobel Group has not conducted any market development activities in Mongolia. A successful completion of the project will thus provide a suitable basis for any future activities in this market.

The project is financially secured by concessional financing (soft loan) of Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG (OeKB). Soft loan financing is used to support the Austrian export industry. These development aid loans, which are granted on favourable terms in cooperation with the public sector, also serve the sustainable development of the target country.

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Two arrested in Mongolia for illegal transportation of 500 kg of deer antlers www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Mongolian police have arrested two men for the illegal transportation of 500 kilos of deer antlers from Khuvsgul province to the capital city of Ulan Bator, the country's National Police Agency (PLA) said Monday.

The two suspects were arrested last week while illegally transporting of 500 kilos of deer antlers at the 22nd checkpoint passing through the Emeelt road in the capital city's Songinokhairkhan district, the NPA said in a statement.

The case is under investigation, it added.

Under Mongolian law, a person convicted of poaching and killing endangered wild animals will be fined at least 10 million Mongolian tugriks (about 3,800 U.S. dollars) or punished by imprisonment of at least two years.

There are around 1,980 deers in Mongolia, according to a survey conducted in 2006.

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Rio Tinto's Mongolia copper problems highlight frontier country risks: Russell www.business.financialpost.com

LAUNCESTON (Reuters) — Looking for a long-term bullish signal for copper? Then look no further than Rio Tinto’s struggles with the Oyu Tolgoi mine and expansion project in Mongolia.

The latest news about the giant copper-gold project is that the production from the underground expansion will be delayed by more than a year to between May 2022 and June 2023, and that costs have ballooned by another $1.9 billion.

The capital cost of the project is now estimated at $6.5 billion to $7.2 billion, up from an original estimate of $5.3 billion.

Rio Tinto, through its Turquoise Hill Resources subsidiary, owns 66% of the Oyu Tolgoi mine, which could become the world’s third-largest copper mine by production in 2025 under the current development plan.

What’s becoming more of an issue for the mine is that the Mongolian government owns the other 34%, and it appears that there is mounting disquiet in Ulaanbaatar that the landlocked country between Russia and China is getting a dud deal.

Mongolia’s parliament is set to approve measures that would terminate the 2015 agreement on the Oyu Tolgoi underground expansion, seeking to bring forward the time when it will receive dividend payments from the project, demand more transparency on copper prices and push for Rio Tinto to build a power plant.

Currently, Mongolia will only start to receive dividends around 2041, when its share of the debt for the project is repaid.

“For now, the Oyu Tolgoi agreement is not benefiting Mongolian citizens,” Battumur Baagaa, a member of the parliamentary working group scrutinizing the project, told Reuters. “It is good to attract foreign investment but that doesn’t mean foreign investment should only benefit the foreign side.”

The sentiment expressed in the above quote goes to the heart of Rio Tinto’s Mongolia problem, and indeed to any mining company considering a major investment in a developing, or frontier market.

BALANCING RISKS

The Oyu Tolgoi project is a country-changer for Mongolia, with its capital budget making it the biggest ever undertaken in the country, but it’s also more than half of the annual gross domestic product (GDP) of $13 billion.

By comparison, the $200 billion of spending on eight liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects in Australia over the past decade, the biggest investment in a single industry in the country’s history, represented about 17% of annual GDP.

A country such as Mongolia cannot afford the upfront cost for its stake in a project the size of Oyu Tolgoi, so it pays for its share by deferring dividends.

While this sounds like a good solution in theory, it also means that the government, and the populace, see the mine being built and start operations, but they don’t necessarily see the benefits flowing to them.

Rio Tinto makes the point on its website that from 2010 to the third quarter of 2018 it has spent “$8.3 billion in-country in the form of salaries, payments to Mongolian suppliers, taxes, and other payments to the government.”

The question is whether this is enough, and the answer the Mongolian authorities appear to be giving is no.

The obvious risk for Rio Tinto is that it spends billions of dollars on an investment that takes a longer period to deliver returns, or even in the worst case the asset is seized by the state.

This situation is increasingly being confronted by resource companies around the globe.

Mozambique and Tanzania are both keen to see international oil and gas companies spend billions of dollars developing an LNG industry in the east African neighbors.

But will the authorities remain satisfied with the terms that were initially struck when it becomes clear that the benefits to the government coffers will take some time to flow?

Increasingly, valuable deposits of commodities are in jurisdictions with higher country risk, but it doesn’t appear that project developers factor in the likelihood of having to renegotiate terms once vast amounts have already been spent.

It’s always going to be a fine balance between a company assessing how much of the value of the project it can afford to surrender to the host country, and the government of that country working out how hard they can squeeze before the company walks away and your investment reputation is severely damaged.

For the market, the risk is that much of the new supply of several key resources is likely to come from countries such as Mongolia, and the question is how likely is it that this resource is actually developed and delivers to plan. (Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

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