Every ambassador arrives with a suitcase and a mission. In our ongoing "Posted In" series, we sit down with outgoing British Ambassador to Mongolia H.E. Fiona Blyth as she reflects on Mongolia-Britain's resilient partnership and its future potential. She speaks about the warmth of the Mongolian people, the work she and the embassy have done to advance women's participation, and their efforts to protect one of Mongolia's most iconic and elusive inhabitants—the snow leopard.

-What surprised you most when you first arrived in Mongolia?

-It started from the moment I landed in Mongolia. You are immediately in the countryside — Mongolia’s beauty surrounds you right away. I was not expecting that at all. I was bracing myself for something like landing in the middle of an urban sprawl, as you do in so many places. And then the vastness of the country also. I come from quite a small island nation, so I had to get used to the sheer scale of this country.

-And the people? What misconceptions you might have had about Mongolians?

-I thought people would be more reserved. I thought there would be a barrier to having warm interactions with strangers. But that barrier is usually gone very quickly with Mongolians. I was struck almost immediately by the warmth and also by the sense of humour. British people and Mongolian people share a very similar sense of humour — we laughed a lot about many things.

I think there is a perception in the world that Asian cultures are more guarded in dealing with strangers. I did not find that here. And perhaps the reverse is also true — people who have not spent time with British people often assume we are very formal, very proper, very stiff. I think we are the opposite. 

“I thought people would be more reserved. That was gone very quickly.”

There is sometimes an old-fashioned view of British culture — that we serve tea in fine china, that our ministers are very proper and uptight. And then when our foreign secretary, David Cameron, visited the country, he just wanted to walk everywhere, get out of the car, see the city, ride a horse, and be in a ger. I think that nonchalant and not wanting to be formal surprised people. He really loved Mongolia. And I think that openness surprised people in a good way. He is a lord, but none of that came with him.

Maybe that speaks to the fact of our longstanding relationship. And on that note, how would you describe the relationship between the UK and Mongolia in one word?

I would say our relationship is visionary. When the UK and Mongolia established diplomatic relations in 1963, there were many reasons why that would have been unusual, even challenging. These are two countries on opposite sides of the world. One comes from a long tradition of parliamentary democracy. And at the time Mongolia was a fully functioning socialist state at the height of the Cold War. The Cuban Missile Crisis had recently happened. The Iron Curtain was very real factor of geopolitics.

And yet with all those odds our countries decided, despite all that distance and difference, they were going to form a relationship. In 1963, we had no idea that Mongolia would become a parliamentary democracy, would develop this open economy, would carry this proud sense of democratic identity. We could not have known that. It took genuine vision to decide to form that relationship. That is something I feel very proud of.

“In 1963, we had no idea Mongolia would become a democracy. That relationship took vision.”

-Is there a moment in the shared history of our two countries that is personally meaningful to you?
-Yes, and it is quite personal. I served in the British Army, and the British Army served alongside Mongolia in Afghanistan and Iraq. Mongolia served with distinction in Afghanistan — our forces were side by side.

I have a colleague here — a Mongolian who served with British forces in Afghanistan. When I got to know him here in Ulaanbaatar, he gave me one of the unit patch that soldiers wear on their uniforms — the ones that show which unit and which country you are from. His unit was joint Mongolian and British, so the patch was half Mongolian flag and half British flag. He gave me his, and it has been one of my most prized possessions ever since. I kept it beside my desk for the whole of my posting, to remind me that our two countries were, in that moment, simply one.

It does not come up very often in conversation. But it means a great deal to me.

-You have spoken about the importance of women’s leadership. What is your message to Mongolia on that front?

-I would love to see Mongolia playing a leading role in women’s leadership — and I say that because of your history, not despite it. Under Chinggis Khaan, women held real authority. That is part of your heritage. Mongolian women are strong. That is something I see in modern Mongolia every day and something I take from your history. But strength alone is not enough if the platforms are not equal. People sometimes challenge me when I talk about women’s leadership by saying, "What about men?" And that is fair — men have challenges too, and I am not dismissing that. But women are over fifty percent of the world’s population. All I am advocating for is an equal platform. Not that women take over everything, just that we all support each other. Human equality, not women’s equality as a separate category — just human equality.

-What concrete work did the embassy do in this area?
-We did the first-ever national research in Mongolia into barriers to women’s political participation. We engaged with over 7,000 women across the country. That is a significant evidence base. And what I am proud of is not just the research itself, but what it showed about Mongolia: that you are open to examining yourselves honestly, looking at the evidence, and finding solutions. That openness is not universal.

We shared the research across our diplomatic network globally and it has been held up as best practice. It even inspired colleagues in Thailand to do the same thing. One finding from Mongolia’s last general election illustrates the challenge clearly: of all the media coverage during the campaign, only two out of every ten articles, posts, or programmes included a woman’s voice. Two out of ten. And that is not unique to Mongolia — it is the same in the UK, in Europe, in North America. But identifying the problem is the only way to solve it.

“Only two out of every ten media pieces during the last election included a woman’s voice.”

-So, what else have Britain and Mongolia been effectively cooperating on?
-Education has been a really strong foundation of our partnership, particularly during my time here. Mongolia’s decision to make English its official foreign language opened a great deal of space for us to work together.

We looked at English language attainment scores across all 21 aimags and targeted those with the lowest scores — often in the most remote regions or areas with large rural communities. We then worked with the Ministry of Education to train teachers in those aimags. In total we trained around 740 teachers. There are roughly three and a half to four thousand English teachers in Mongolia, so that is a meaningful proportion. And beyond the training itself, we worked with the British Council to build a framework that will continue to support teachers in building their competency over time. That kind of systemic approach is what I am proud of.

-That is some great work, but what sectors Mongolia and Britain could have worked on, what are untapped potentials Britain could help with Mongolia?
-A metro line – if that happens transformational potential is real. I come from a country that built the world’s first metro. I have seen what it does to a city. And I think anyone who has spent time in Ulaanbaatar can see that the traffic is a serious problem. It is affecting productivity, it is affecting air quality, and it is affecting children’s health and people’s ability to live and work and move around. If nothing changes, nothing change.

I am not just talking about Ulaanbaatar either. Imagine being able to take a train from east to west across Mongolia. That would be one of the world’s great train journeys — people would come from everywhere just go on that journey. Aside from everything it would do for ordinary life — for families, for business, for daily movement — it would be extraordinary.

The UK is offering a Private Finance Initiative partnership. That makes the upfront costs much more manageable for Mongolia — it spreads payments over twenty years, at a lower rate and lower cost. Our experience in London with our most recent line is that the headline fiscal costs are much smaller than the long-term economic gains. Londoners were sceptical before it opened. Now it is the most popular line in the whole of London.

I understand why it is hard for governments to make decisions whose benefits will not arrive within a political cycle. That takes political bravery and long-term vision. But I want to be clear: this is not a personal project or any individual’s pet initiative. This is a government-to-government offer from the United Kingdom to Mongolia. If Mongolia wants it, we are ready. If Mongolia decides it is not the right time, that is of course your choice. But we believe in the benefits.

“Imagine a train from east to west across Mongolia. That would be one of the world’s great train journeys.”

-Let's say that project does come to fruition, and we start construction on a metro line. So, what obstacles might hinder or limit this cooperative project? And aside from projects like these, what other obstacles are there that limit cooperation?
-The foreign investment environment. I do not say this to be critical — I say it because it matters and because it is solvable. Investors need confidence that if a project goes wrong — and projects do go wrong. That is a normal part of building an economy — they will be able to get a decision, enforce it, and then move on and take the next risk.

Aside from that, the long-running legacy disputes, some going on ten or fifteen years, send a very difficult message. There needs to be some form of independent arbitration and dispute resolution that is swift and respected. There also needs to be greater transparency in how contracts are awarded, how tenders are run, and how the tax code operates. Making those processes visible and consistent is the best deterrent to shady transactions — far better than enforcement action after the fact.

And I would say this gently but directly: in Mongolia, decision makers sometimes face prosecution later for decisions they took when they were in office. That is a significant deterrent to anyone considering a bold long-term decision. Accountability is vital — I agree with that fully. But the risk of prosecution for a decision taken in good faith, at the time agreed upon, makes difficult decisions even harder to take. Transparency before the fact is the better solution. Just make the environment for making decisions and any kind of deals transparent and open. Without that you have instances of punishing leadership after the fact. 

-Those are important subjects we need to engage in. But moving toward a lighter subject. Which Mongolian tradition or culture that have resonated with you the most?
-Your fashion. I really love [Mongolian] fashion. I enjoyed so much of the fabric, the design and the heritage. I think Mongolians have so much talent. I really had the privilege of experiencing and enjoyed wearing the unique deels that I have gathered throughout my post.

-Is there a favorite designer that you have grown fond of?
-I have become a very good customer of Michel & Amazonka. Aside from that there is a beautiful jacket I wear constantly when I am back in the UK, even at the pub, which I bought from Narantuul Market. So, both ends of the spectrum are well represented in my wardrobe. I wear them both equally and with love and adoration.

-Are there things that you wished you would have done but just didn’t come to fruition due to unforeseen circumstances?
-I visited 17 aimags during my three years. I missed Khentii, Sukhbaatar, Dornod, and Zavkhan. I genuinely regret not being able to make it all of the aimags. But I was determined from the beginning that I was going to be an ambassador to Mongolia, not just an ambassador to Ulaanbaatar. To me, that meant getting out, meeting people across the country, hearing different perspectives, seeing places that are very different from the capital.
There are always reasons to stay in Ulaanbaatar — there is always work to do here. But I was quite determined. And I would have felt very sad leaving if I had spent three years only in the capital. 

-Maybe a train line would have helped? 
-Yes, a train line would have helped.

-Aside from the women leadership research, is there anything else that you are most proud of during your tenure? 
-The conservation of snow leopards. The UK supports research into snow leopard conservation. Mongolia has the second largest snow leopard population in the world, which is extraordinary, but it creates real tension with herders whose livestock are vulnerable. The work being done is about finding practical ways to protect both — building corrals that keep livestock safe without harming the snow leopards, separating water sources, and setting up a local insurance scheme so that herders can be compensated if they lose an animal to a snow leopard. And one of the research projects we support is the Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve in Umnugobi aimag, and I have visited the reserve several times. The first time I went, we saw the foot tracks but not the animal itself. We set up cameras. Months later, the snow leopard came, and we caught it on film. And then on one later trip, I saw a snow leopard close, in the mountains, with the sun coming up over the Gobi. It was truly magical. One of those moments you do not really have the words for. That is a moment I will truly cherish throughout my life.

“The sun was coming up over the Gobi, and this beautiful creature was there. Truly magical.”

-That is Amazing, I think being here for some you probably have picked on some Mongolian mannerism and idioms. Is there any Mongolian proverbs you have picked up on?
-A couple. One that feels very relevant: when our Foreign Secretary visited — we were the sixth country he was visiting on that trip, after five Central Asian countries — just before he landed, a colleague said to me: ‘The last camel carries the heaviest load.’ I laughed, but I was not entirely sure it was the moment for that one.

The one I use more regularly is ‘Bolno doo’ — what will be will be, and that is enough. I spend a lot of energy trying to push things forward, speed things up, move things along. A colleague reminded me sometimes to just let things be, and accept things as they are. I liked that very much.

-What is your message to Mongolians and to the person who will be taking on your role as you leave?

-Just thank you. To the people of Mongolia. It has been an extraordinary privilege. Everywhere I have gone in this country I have been welcomed with warmth and generosity that has genuinely moved me. People have given me gifts who had very little to give.

I wish I had another three years. I am genuinely jealous of my successor. My advice to them would be simple: get out of Ulaanbaatar as often as you can. Talk to regular people living their lives. Try to see Mongolia from Mongolia’s point of view — not from the outside. It is a unique perspective, and one of the real privileges of this role is to try to inhabit it, even a little.

And if there is a metro by the time I visit again, I expect to take it all the way from the airport to the center of Ulaanbaatar.

Published Date:2026-06-01