By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo

On June 24-25, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay a state visit to Mongolia.

Diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and Mongolia were established on January 25, 1992. Since then, bilateral dialogue has steadily progressed, demonstrating a mutual interest in strengthening friendly ties, political understanding, and expanding multifaceted cooperation.

Over the past decades, the two sides have cultivated stable relations founded on respect for sovereignty, equality, and the absence of political contradictions.

Recent years have witnessed an intensification of the Uzbekistan-Mongolia political dialogue. President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh visited Uzbekistan to participate in the Samarkand SCO summit in 2022. The leaders of Uzbekistan and Mongolia also met on the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai on December 1, 2023.

Of particular significance was the first state visit of President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh to Uzbekistan from June 23-26, 2024. The fruitful negotiations between the two leaders resulted in the signing of a Joint Statement on Interstate Relations and Cooperation, as well as 14 intergovernmental and other documents.

“Mongolia is our traditional and reliable partner in the Asian region. Uzbek-Mongolian relations are built on the principles of friendship, mutual respect, and support, and are independent of conjuncture”, stated President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev during the visit.

This foundation provides a solid base for growing bilateral contacts at the level of governments, parliaments, and ministries, which facilitate the rapprochement of the countries and the expansion of areas of interaction.

For example, inter-parliamentary friendship groups operating in the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan and the State Great Khural of Mongolia have established a constructive dialogue characterized by active exchange of visits.

Mechanisms for interagency cooperation are also functioning effectively. Inter-ministerial political consultations contribute to strengthening mutual understanding on bilateral and international agenda items, coordinating approaches within international organizations, and establishing a stable legal and institutional framework for expanding cooperation in various fields.

To date, seven rounds of political consultations have been held between the foreign ministries, the latest taking place on May 7, 2024, in Ulaanbaatar.

The activities of diplomatic missions also play an important role in expanding bilateral cooperation. The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Beijing is concurrently accredited to Mongolia. On June 24, 2024, during the visit of the President of Mongolia to Uzbekistan, the official opening of the Embassy of Mongolia in Tashkent took place. These diplomatic channels facilitate the organization of bilateral visits, political consultations, and the preparation of draft agreements in various fields.

Uzbekistan and Mongolia traditionally support each other in the international arena. This is particularly evident within organizations such as the UN, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) (Mongolia has observer status), as well as in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) dialogue, where both countries see opportunities to strengthen ties between East and West.

Mongolia has repeatedly provided diplomatic support for Uzbekistan’s initiatives in the international arena aimed at ensuring sustainable development, regional stability, and strengthening interconnectivity in Central Asia. In turn, Uzbekistan supports Mongolia’s efforts to promote sustainable energy solutions, environmental protection, and the preservation of steppe ecosystems.

Of particular importance is Mongolia’s growing interest in regional interaction with Central Asia, where Uzbekistan occupies a key geographical and economic position. Uzbekistan, in turn, perceives Mongolia as an important partner in expanding political and economic ties with Northeast Asia.

Economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Mongolia has not yet reached its full potential, but both sides express interest in its intensification. Mongolia views Uzbekistan as an important trade and economic partner in the region. Bilateral trade figures are steadily increasing, demonstrating an average annual growth of 30%.

Both countries possess significant raw material, energy, and agricultural potential, and their economies can be complementary. Cooperation in energy, including renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies, is considered particularly promising. Currently, there are 17 joint ventures operating in Uzbekistan, including 12 with 100% Mongolian capital. Their sphere of activity is trade and services.

The parties are considering the possibility of creating joint ventures, developing trade representations, and participating in fairs, business forums, and investment conferences. In June 2024, the opening of trade houses in Mongolia and Uzbekistan and the holding of industrial exhibitions in the capitals of the two countries were announced.

The achieved agreement on preparing an Agreement on Preferential Trade in Certain Types of Goods and proposals to facilitate market access will provide an additional impetus.

On June 24, 2024, in Tashkent, during the state visit of President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh to Uzbekistan, the leaders of the two countries met with representatives of business circles.

“We emphasized that we are practically not using the available potential and opportunities. In this regard, we set the task of increasing the volume of mutual trade tenfold in the coming years, primarily by expanding the range and volumes of mutual supplies of demanded products”, noted the head of Uzbekistan at the meeting.

A positive step in this direction was the participation of Mongolian delegations in the traditional Tashkent International Investment Forum and other business events in Uzbekistan.

Cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Uzbekistan and Mongolia is based on deep historical and civilization ties. Turkic and Mongolian peoples have lived for centuries in a unified ethno-cultural and geopolitical space that originated in the steppes of Central Eurasia. These peoples are united by common patterns of nomadic culture, similar social structures, linguistic and mythological elements, and deep respect for traditions, history, and nature.

The empires that arose on the territory of modern Uzbekistan and Mongolia – from the Hunnic state to the empires of Genghis Khan and the Timurids – not only shaped the historical destiny of Eurasia but also passed on to each other elements of administrative culture, art, diplomacy, and military strategy.

Uzbekistan and Mongolia are custodians of the most important cultural and scientific traditions of the East, from the Great Silk Road to written and spiritual monuments. Mongolia has a large number of ancient written sources on the history and culture of the peoples of Central Asia, which are of interest to the Institutes of Oriental Studies and Manuscripts of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.

Cooperation in the fields of archaeology, museum affairs, restoration, and tourism opens opportunities for joint projects, scientific expeditions, exhibitions, and educational programs.

For example, in October 2023, representatives of the Jaloliddin Manguberdi Foundation made a scientific and practical trip to Mongolia to prepare video materials related to the Orkhon-Yenisei inscriptions, which are the roots of Turkic languages, including the Uzbek language.

Today, both sides are developing student exchanges, academic contacts, and programs to study history, language, and culture. The development of Turkic and Oriental studies centers, where Mongolian and Uzbek experiences mutually enrich the scientific and educational sphere, is becoming a promising direction.

Furthermore, with the support of national cultural organizations, Days of Culture, tours, film festivals, conferences, and creative forums are held, forming the basis of a humanitarian dialogue.

In June 2024, a joint concert of the Uzbek Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments and the Mongolian Philharmonic Orchestra “Morin Khuur” took place in Tashkent. This Mongolian musical collective also participated in the II International Forum of Maqom Art.

In turn, last November, a presentation of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Uzbek people was held at the Mongolian Philharmonic Hall with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Mongolia.

In a word, relations between Uzbekistan and Mongolia are based on respect, mutual interest, and historical proximity. Both countries demonstrate a commitment to more active cooperation, both bilaterally and in multilateral formats. By building up economic and humanitarian ties, Uzbekistan and Mongolia are certainly capable of turning their partnership into a stable and mutually beneficial vector of development in Central and East Asia.

In this context, the upcoming state visit of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will undoubtedly give a powerful impetus to this process and open a new page in the history of Uzbek-Mongolian interaction for the benefit of prosperity and the strengthening of friendship between the peoples of our countries.