Speaking to Daily Sabah in an exclusive interview during his visit to Ankara on 7 March, Parliamentary Speaker M.Enkhbold said: 'Mongolia aims to reach a strategic level in relations with Turkey.' He added that his fourth official visit to the country is significant for social and political ties and cooperation between the parliaments.

M.Enkhbold visited Turkey from 6-9 March upon an invitation from his opposite number Parliamentary Speaker İsmail Kahraman, and also held a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He cited Turkey and Mongolia's historic and cultural ties and that parliamentary cooperation between the countries started in 1994. During the visit, the two sides signed the 2018-2020 Action Plan for the implementation of the protocol on inter-parliamentary cooperation signed in 2014 between the two parliaments.

Commenting on the failed July 15 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, in which the parliament building was bombed, M.Enkhbold said that his government followed the incidents with concern that night. 'The Mongolian government has always stood with Turkey in its fight against terrorism,' M.Enkhbold said. He added that the Mongolian government has also been tackling requests from Turkey to take steps regarding the future of some schools affiliated to the Gülenist FETÖ organisation.

Touching on the economic ties between the countries, M.Enkhbold said a free trade agreement needs to be signed in order to reach the goals set for the trade volume.