Premier instructs aviation organizations to intensify operations

Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg met with the heads of the Civil Aviation Authority and MIAT Mongolian Airlines at the weekly meeting Hour of Solution on Wednesday to assign them with duties in their sector.
The government reached a decision last April to establish the National Corporation of Civil Aviation. The corporation will be in charge of air navigation and the servicing of airports and aircraft, responsibilities previously held by the Civil Aviation Authority.
A working group in the Ministry of Roads and Transportation developed the rules and principles of the corporation. The building that housed the Department of Aviation Monitoring and Security will be dedicated to the new corporation.
The longitudinal distance between aircrafts flying in Mongolian airspace has been reduced from 90 kilometers to 30 kilometers, effective April 20. Therefore, the number of flights coming to Mongolia can be increased, reported the head of Civil Aviation Authority Ts.Erdenebileg. According to MIAT Mongolian Airlines Director G.Jargalsaikhan, the number of summer flights will increase compared to last year.
Noting that civil aviation is a significant sector in terms of Mongolia’s economy, key in attracting investors and serving tourists, the Prime Minister asked the meeting attendees to pay more attention to strengthening the sector.
The Prime Minister instructed Ts.Erdenebileg to intensify establishing procedure for the corporation within the Civil Aviation Authority, to increase navigation income, and to work on finding creative new investment sources.
To increase the number of incoming tourists, MIAT should launch new transit services by autumn, stressed the Prime Minister, adding that there is a demand to make a new scheme for the financing of the company’s Boeing airplane, study opportunities to cooperate with large foreign aviation companies, and to cooperate with private companies as well. The Premier also assigned MIAT authorities with developing an initiative to increase passenger numbers and to schedule service to the Ural Siberia region to take advantage of the visa-free travel agreement between Mongolia and Russia.

Source: http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/

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Bulgaria, Mongolia to improve educational, agricultural, scientific and ministerial cooperation

President of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev and the President of Mongolia, Ts.Elbegdorj, discussed the development of trade and economic relations between the countries on Monday, the press center of the President’s Office announced.
The Bulgarian head of State has been on a three-day visit to Mongolia since Sunday. The state visit takes place within the context of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The Head of the Bulgarian State defined Mongolia as an important partner and friend of Bulgaria in Asia. “We will develop bilateral relations in the field of mining, pharmaceutics, and cosmetics, energy, agriculture, and food production, information and communication technologies, defense, as well as building modern infrastructure. We seek all-round partnership and cooperation,” President Plevneliev commented.
He listed as opportunities for cooperation the Bulgarian pharmaceutic companies looking for joint ventures and production in Mongolia. Plevneliev added that Mongolia is already trading in Bulgarian medicinal products, but there are greater prospects in this sphere. Food production also offers serious prospects and Bulgarian companies will be encouraged to produce in Mongolia and to enter big markets, such as the Chinese one, through joint ventures with Mongolian partners, he noted. Specific cooperation opportunities also exist in the defense industry where, for example, the production of night vision equipment by Bulgaria’s OPTIX Co. could be sold in Mongolia.

A number of documents were inked at an official ceremony attended by both presidents, including an agreement on the implementation of a program for technical aid in the agriculture sector; an agreement between the education ministries of Bulgaria and Mongolia on the implementation of a scholarship program in the field of agricultural sciences to train Mongolian students at Bulgarian state higher education establishments; an agreement between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences on scientific cooperation; and a memorandum of understanding between the Bulgarian and Mongolian foreign ministries.
Ts.Elbegdorj thanked the Bulgarian side for its support for cooperation between Mongolia and the European Union. In his words, Mongolia is convinced that its best friend and ally in Europe is Bulgaria. Plevneliev made a reference to the ratification by the Bulgarian National Assembly of the Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation between the EU and Mongolia, and said that this agreement will give Mongolia the opportunity to widen its cooperation with the European Union and will strengthen Bulgarian-Mongolian relations.
Mentioning that some 5,000 Mongolians have graduated from Bulgarian universities and institutes, and more than 3,000 have been involved in mid-career training in Bulgaria, the two presidents also noted Bulgaria’s contribution in the training of Mongolian students and specialists. Ts.Elbegdorj said that Mongolia will send students in Bulgaria for training in IT and environmental sciences.
Plevneliev recalled that Bulgaria reinstated its embassy in Ulaanbaatar and noted that work is underway for opening a consulate as well. He said that Bulgaria has an ambitious program for expansion of cooperation, which also means more effective visa-issuing.
On the same day, Plevneliev opened a monument to the Cyrillic letters at a school in Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia is the only non-Slav country using Cyrillic writing. The monument was unveiled on the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who invented the earliest version of the Slavonic alphabet in 9th century AD.
According to Bulgarian News Agency BTA, the presidents announced during the joint press conference that followed their bilateral talks that Mongolia will study Bulgaria’s experience with the construction of the Sofia underground railway system. The Mayor of Ulaanbaatar is preparing to visit the Bulgarian capital and acquaint himself with the project. “Bulgaria is known in Eastern Europe for its fast and nice metro and we would like to use the experience with the Sofia metro’s construction in a short time with small expenditures,” President Ts.Elbegdorj said.
Mongolia and the Republic of Bulgaria established diplomatic relations on April 22, 1950. In 1961, the two countries opened their respective embassies in Ulaanbaatar and Sofia. Mongolia and Bulgaria had intensive relations from 1960 to 1990. However, bilateral relations have been diminished in recent years. But both sides have started to take the initiative to restoring bilateral relations since 1994.

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Vladimir Putin and Ts.Elbegdorj meet to discuss bilateral relations

During his visit to Russia to attend the 70th anniversary of the victory of World War II, President Ts.Elbegdorj met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, ahead of the Victory Day celebrations on May 9.
During the meeting, Putin thanked Ts.Elbegdorj for accepting the invitation to come to the Moscow Victory Parade. The Russian president also said that the two countries have “good and friendly relations with old and deep roots”, and that the Mongolian leader’s visit would be an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations. Putin noted Mongolia’s role in actively supporting the Soviet Union during World War II in the fight against Nazi Germany.
Ts.Elbegdorj stated that he was very happy to congratulate President Putin, representing all Mongolian people, for the 70th anniversary of Victory Day.
At the meeting the parties discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral relations in economy, infrastructure, future prospects for mutual cooperation, tripartite meetings, and other items.
In an exclusive interview with TASS news agency, President Ts.Elbegdorj said that Mongolia expects to sign a mid-term program on developing a strategic partnership with Russia on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Ufa, in the Urals, in July.
“We have prepared a document – a mid-term program for the development of a strategic partnership. On our part, everything has been approved and now the support of the Russian side is needed. Probably, during the Ufa meeting, we’ll sign it,” the Mongolian leader said, and added that during a meeting with Vladimir Putin, issues related to economic and infrastructural development will be specified.
The two countries eased visa requirements late last year and plan to hold joint military exercises in the summer.

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Agreement signed on NON-VISA travel between Mongolia and Russia

Mongolia and Russia’s high officials signed 15 important documents on September 3. Among them is the agreement on non-visa travelling between the two countries, signed by the two FMs L.Bold and S.Lavrov.

The other documents are the agreement on cooperation in civil air transportation, and in development of Ulaanbaatar Railways, signed by A.Gansukh, Minister of road and transportation, and by V.I.Yakunin, the director of state-owned “Russian Railways” JSC, also agreements on cooperation in construction sector and in improving economic relations, as well as a cooperation memorandum between MIAT and Aeroflot companies, signed by their directors. 

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Putin emphasizes Mongolia’s support for the Soviet Union during WWII

President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin emphasized Mongolia’s support for the Soviet Union during World War II in his opening speech of the national Victory Day parade, dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War .
A group of Mongolian military servicemen took part in the event, for the first time, and marched among the thousands of troops who marched across Red Square in Moscow at the victory parade. Some 80 servicemen no less than 180 centimeters tall were selected from different units of the Mongolian armed forces to take part in the Moscow parade.
The parade started at 10:00 a.m. local time (07:00 GMT). President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj was among more than 20 world leaders watching the event, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Pranab Mukherjee of India, and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Russia presented its new military vehicles during the parade, including a highly sophisticated tank and new armor. Military units from across Russia – some dressed in WWII-era uniforms – marched, and more than 100 aircraft flew over Red Square.
During WWII Mongolia contributed 500,000 horses, a tank regiment, and an Air Force squadron to the Red Army, with forces formed on a voluntary basis and from donations contributed by the Mongolian people. Mongolia sent nine trains with ammunition, food, and presents for the Soviet servicemen. Mongolia also delivered around half a million tons of meat and 64,000 tons of wool to the Soviet Union.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was the most prominent world leader to attend the Victory Day parade and Putin took special note in his speech of China’s role in the war, saying that like the Soviet Union “lost many, many millions of people.”
On the sidelines of his working visit to the Russian Federation, President Ts.Elbegdorj awarded outstanding figures and some citizens of Russia with State Orders and Medals of Mongolia for their contributions to bilateral relations between Mongolia and Russia.

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UNHRC discusses Mongolia’s human rights record

Mongolia’s human rights record is under examination by the United Nations Human Rights Council as it conducts the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva, through May 8.
A delegation from the Justice Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Ministry of Population Development and Social Protection, General Prosecutor’s Office of Mongolia and General Police Department, headed by Vice Minister of Justice Ts.Uugangerel, is taking part in the Mongolia Review for the 22nd Session of the Universal Periodic Review.
Since its first report on human rights, Mongolia approved additional protocol of the International Pact on Civic and Political Rights, directed to abolish the death penalty, and additional protocol against torture. Mongolia approved laws against human trafficking, on gender equality, as well as a law on witness and victim protection, moves which have been praised at the international and national level.
United Nations member countries attended the 22nd Session of Universal Periodic Review, and advised Mongolia to abolish the death penalty from its criminal law, to not consider defamation and insult as crimes, not to limit civil rights to free expression, to include acts of torture as criminal offenses in the Criminal Code in compliance with the U.N. Convention Against Torture, to protect the rights of victims and witnesses to crime, and to compensate damages to physical and mental health. They also recommended that Mongolia increase in women’s participation at the state’s decision making level; combat human trafficking, crimes of sexual exploitation, and domestic violence, and to make offenders of these crimes legally accountable; to forbid child labor; end discrimination against LGBT people; and provide the public with knowledge about the LGBT community.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the Universal Periodic Review, “has great potential to promote and protect human rights in the darkest corners of the world.”
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) involves a review of the human rights records of all U.N. member states. The UPR is a state-driven process, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council, which provides the opportunity for each state to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to fulfill their human rights obligations. As one of the main features of the council, the UPR is designed to ensure equal treatment for every country when their human rights situations are assessed.

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Ch.Saikhanbileg: Taxes will not be increased or decreased

Taxes will not be increased or decreased, pointed out Prime Minister of Mongolia Ch.Saikhanbileg during an official statement made at the parliamentary session meeting last Friday.
According to the tax payment performance reported in International Finance Corporation’s 2015 entrepreneurship survey, Mongolia ranked 84th for its pleasant tax environment and became the world’s 28th country for less taxation.
The economic environment of Mongolia is growing rapidly, engaging in international economic relations. Large international-level projects and programs implemented in Mongolia have been established under transnational corporations. In order to manage the current social and economic conditions and to improve the tax environment in a timely manner, adjusting to current conditions, there is an urgent demand to renew laws and regulations on taxation, stated the Premier.

Society is calling for upgrades to the taxation environment, making it more fair, simple and understandable, meeting international standards and supporting entrepreneurship and investment, the Premier underlined. He stressed that he will adhere to a policy to keep the current taxation rate and percentages stable and will not increase them in the future.
“Some foreign countries are looking for ways to get over the economic crisis by increasing taxes. But we believe that that method will but a burden on entrepreneurs.
“Mongolia’s economy is growing, relying on consumption. Mongolia has not accumulated huge income and assets like developed foreign countries. Therefore, it is correct to keep the taxation system based on consumption tax and follow basic directions to improve it further,” he added.
“The main purpose of the tax reform is to make the Law on Taxes equal and fair. An owner of a small diner, who is not registered as an entity, pays tax of 300,000 MNT a year. Meanwhile, an employee with a daily income of 25,000 MNT pays tax of 720,000 MNT a year. This shows that the taxation system of Mongolia should be renewed quickly and should become more fair,” Ch.Saikhanbileg noted and announced that he will develop a tax law on assets directed at wealthy people, and a separate tax law directed at increasing the numbers of employed citizens with steady income.
“The tax environment will be altered to support entrepreneurship and investment. According to the International Finance Corporation survey, SMEs make up 45 percent of all jobs in developing countries and make up 33 percent of GDP. In other words, SMEs play a vital role in economic growth and employment.
“A draft law on SMEs with annual sales income of less than 1.5 billion MNT receiving returns of 90 percent of taxes paid to cover a certain period each year, has been delivered to the Parliament is expected to be discussed in the near future.
“The Government of Mongolia will register the cash in circulation using the feature of value added taxes and will educate citizens on a culture of controlling their consumption. This will help reduce the shadow economy. The role of value added tax is to increase controls on the market rather than to generate budget income. Therefore, opportunities will become available for citizens to receive returns of 20 percent of taxes paid by registering their own purchases.
“We are planning to make changes to the law to prevent tax payers from violating laws and regulations, advising them and cooperating with them, as well as notifying them in advance instead of causing a burden with audits.
“It is time to renew tax accountability and fines, the system where an entity failed to report taxable income and paid less fines than an entity that couldn’t pay taxes on time even though it submitted a tax report truthfully. Also, the current system that sentences legal bodies that avoid taxes to prison terms should be renewed eventually.”

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Cabinet amends wildlife hunting quotas for 2015

In the weekly meeting of the Cabinet held on Monday changes were made to the wildlife hunting quotas for 2015, established under Government Resolution No 377, issued on December 1, 2014.
The amended resolution allows 350 taimens for catch and release, 150 Mongolian antelopes and 300 birds for hunting, and 100 saker falcons for live export.
The export of saker falcons for profit was banned for a five-year term in compliance with Governmental Resolution No.15 issued in 2013. However, 40 birds were exported last year for cultural purposes.
Mongolia and the United Arab Emirates established a five-year memorandum of understanding on the conservation of carnivorous birds in 2011. Within the frames of the memorandum 20 soums of Tov, Khentii and Sukhbaatar aimags launched projects on improving the natural egg-laying conditions for saker falcons. accordingly, a total of 5,250 artificial nests received 200 mating pairs and became homes for 600 chicks in 2011; home to 380 pairs and 1,298 chicks in 2012; and over 500 pairs and 2,000 chicks in 2013. Considering these figures, the cabinet decided that the export of 100 saker falcons will not harm the species’ population, reported the Press and Public Relations Department of the Government.

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Mongolia and Belarus to develop cooperation in transport and logistics

A consultative meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and the Republic of Belarus was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia on Saturday, where the sides discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of bilateral relations, including the exchange of high-level visits; the expansion of political, economic, scientific, educational and cultural ties; widening of the legal basis for bilateral cooperation; and interaction in the international arena and regional issues.
The delegations considered issues related to preparation for the 3rd session of the Joint Belarus-Mongolia Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation to be held in June 2015.
The meeting was headed by Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs N.Oyundari from the Mongolian side, while the Belarusian side was headed by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus, Valentin B. Rybakov.
Deputy Minister N.Oyundari emphasized the growing ties between Mongolia and Belarus in the fields of trade and economics. Deputy Foreign Minister Rybakov expressed his interest in further expanding the cooperation of Belarusian companies such as BelAZ, MTZ, MAZ, Mogilevliftmash, said the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Mongolia.
Deputy Minister Rybakov also met with Mongolian Minister of Roads and Transportation N.Tumurkhuu to discuss the current status and prospects of the development of bilateral ties in transport and logistics.
The Belarusian delegation also took part in negotiations with the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development. The talks with the ministry and Chairperson of the Mongolian side of the Joint Belarusian-Mongolian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation G.Baigalmaa focused on the status of implementation of bilateral agreements, and the upcoming events on the joint agenda aimed at strengthening Belarusian-Mongolian cooperation, according to Belarusian news agency BelTA.

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Prime Minister stops state organizations from driving luxury cars in the city

The average cost per day for driving a large, well-equipped, luxury vehicle in the city is 112 thousand MNT, and can add up to 30 to 35 million MNT a year. The government is looking to take pressure off of state budget spending by cutting expenses in luxury consumption, beginning with ending the use of luxury vehicles for city transport. Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg also announced on Wednesday that in 2015, no state organizations will be permitted to buy new vehicles.
The Prime Minister hosts the weekly meeting “Hour of Solutions” on Wednesdays and addresses the most pressing problems facing the nation. In the first Hour of Solutions meeting, the Prime Minister ordered all ministries, governmental agencies, and state-owned organizations to stop the use of high fuel consuming luxury vehicles. He issued requirements for state organizations and authorities to only use well-equipped, large vehicles for official appointments in the provinces and to only drive cars that consume less than 16 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers in the city.
Ending the use of large luxury vehicles bought with state funds in Ulaanbaatar not only represents big savings, but is also an issue of etiquette. Like private companies do not drive luxury cars for city work, state organizations should also not drive luxury vehicles in the city, pleaded the Prime Minister.
“We won’t seize large vehicles that state organizations are driving and sell them. Instead, these cars should be taken from places where large vehicles are not needed and should be transferred to place that are in need of large vehicles,” he added.
Currently, 68 luxury vehicles have been seized so far. Fifty of them are large vehicles and 18 are passenger cars. Acting Chairman of the State Property Committee Sh.Solongo said that a decision has been made to distribute some 40 vehicles to the General Authority for Border Protection, its affiliated border checkpoints and border inspection services, and to transfer the remaining vehicles to the local branches of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Mongolia.
She noted that some agencies and ministries which have received the State Property Committee’s notice to give up luxury vehicles still haven’t returned the cars. There are 80 vehicles marked for seizure. Large vehicles of the National Emergency Management Agency won’t be seized due to the agencies operational needs, she added.
The government’s motor depot has built a new garage for 400 cars. Vehicles available for travel to the provinces and long distances will be kept there. Garages that belonged to state budget-organizations will be sold at auction and income from the sales will be directed to the state budget, Sh.Solongo said.

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Standing Committee on Petitions to cooperate on reconstruction in ger districts

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petitions appointed a working group to develop the committee’s decisions, summaries, and suggestions to improve the condition of ger districts. The head of the working group, MP J.Batzandan, staff of the Standing Committee on Petitions, and the Ulaanbaatar Governor’s Deputy of the in Charge of Urban Development and Investment Affairs, S.Ochirbat, visited sites of reconstruction in the ger districts on Monday.
The officials visited the Bayanzurkh District and got acquainted with procedures for reconstruction in the ger district area. Construction companies Baganat Urgoo and Gangar Invest are cooperating in the 8th and 16th khoroos to build apartment for 5,000 families. They are aiming to commission apartments for 1,000 families in the first phase of construction. As of today, 23 percent of the land to undergo reconstruction has been made available. The first phase of apartments will be commissioned in June.
Afterwards, the officials visited a construction site in the 7th khoroo of the Sukhbaatar District, where 50 percent of the land to undergo reconstruction has been freed. Engineering network, electricity, and heating issues have been fully resolved, according to the engineers of Asar Urgoo, the company working on the project.
The work to re-plan the ger districts and accommodate ger district residents is underway without any barriers, said S.Ochirbat, adding that the issue of paved roads to apartment towns, engineering networks, heating, and electricity have been completely resolved.
Reporting that the working group was appointed to monitor improvements to ger district conditions, MP J.Batzandan learned from the companies executing projects for redevelopment that some citizens are not making their land available and demanding large sums of money. J.Batzandan advised the construction companies to approach the Standing Committee on Petitions in such cases and promised to cooperate further.
Around 60 percent of Ulaanbaatar’s residents live in ger district neighborhoods. Ger districts contribute to a whopping 84 percent of the city’s air pollution, according to the American Center for Mongolian Studies. In these neighborhoods, water can be hard to come by, improper roads make it difficult for emergency services to find and reach homes, and pollution is high from coal burning stoves and unauthorized waste disposal sites. Therefore, the Civic Council or the Capital City’s Representative’s Khural approved the program to re-plan ger districts. The program aims to develop ger districts into places with better living conditions that provide public safety, housing options, and getting residents connected to infrastructure and the central heating and sewage system.

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Women want more participation in civic decision-making

A national conference entitled “Development and Participation of Women”, held on Saturday, touched upon issues of women’s civic participation at the decision making level.
As a result, demand has risen to make slight modifications to the law on political parties and law on parliamentary elections, such as to set the quota of female candidates in the elections at 30 percent and 50 percent of the first ten candidates ranked in the political party list, highlighted MP S.Odontuya at the conference.
Around 60 percent of university and institute alumni of Mongolia are women, however, they make up only 30 percent of mid-level leadership positions and 15 percent of high-ranking positions. The same survey also showed that 10 percent of leaders in the private sector and 70 to 80 percent of the nation’s workforce was made up of women.
According to the survey, 41 percent of participants said they would support a female parliamentarian running in the presidential election and 42.8 percent said they would support female candidates in the parliamentary elections. Almost 87 percent of those surveyed agreed that women’s representation is lacking at the decision making level in Mongolia.
The unemployment rate of women is at 6.6 percent nationwide. Some 55 percent of all employed workers in Mongolia are self-employed and do not receive the state service of labor and social security protection. Most of those citizens are women. Men and women receive different salaries than men, who tend to get paid higher than women. The state should pay attention at the policy level to income inequality, emphasized the conference attendees.
At the conclusion of the national conference, the attendees issued an appeal addressed to Parliament, government, and political parties.

To the Parliament:

• discuss and approve renewed versions of the laws on family and domestic violence, first and foremost,
• ratify and implement provisions on gender equality rights, stated in the law on elections and law on political parties,
• strengthen accountability for all types of violence against children and women.

To the government:

• issue a report on the performance of each provision of the law on providing gender equality in all spheres, including the economy, politics, society, culture and family, and make Parliament discuss it,
• plan objective measures to improve the quality of life of Mongolian women and organize their implementation,
• establish a development loan fund and assign NGOs to execute projects allowing single mothers and poor women with many children to find employment and earn income.

To political parties:

• make 50 percent of candidates in the parliamentary and local elections women,
• train and educate women in leadership through women’s organizations within parties.

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Office of the President renews the fight against domestic violence and corruption

Human Rights and Legal Policy Advisor to the President of Mongolia Ch.Unurbayar submitted to Speaker of Parliament Z.Enkhbold the draft of a national policy to strengthen accountability and justice to combat corruption and a draft law on domestic violence.
The 2012-2016 action plan of the government includes directives to make strict reforms to combat bureaucracy and corruption. President Ts.Elbegdorj initiated a national program to strengthen accountability and justice to combat corruption and to address the necessity to create mechanisms to implement measures included in the overall policy of national development to be taken against corruption. The development policy is based on Mongolia’s national security concepts and Millennium Development Goals for Mongolia.
The draft of the national policy consists of eight chapters and 12 basic directives. The President’s Office conducted research on the corruption laws of over 50 countries, and the strategies and programs against corruption of 48 countries. The draft reflects suggestions and ideas from public and professional organizations, Ch.Unurbayar added.
The Parliament of Mongolia approved an independent law to combat domestic violence in 2004, however, the rate of violence has not decreased and some believe that it has become a more serious problem ending in death, serious injury, and child abuse. Specialists who implement the law, organizations, and researchers who work on domestic violence issues say the reason for the rising severity of cases is that the law’s management is poor. They cite that the participation of relevant agencies and organizations addressing domestic violence is extremely generic and procedures to protect the safety of family members have fallen behind.
A working group developed the new draft law, adjusting legal management to combat domestic violence by putting the safety of victims first; to create a team of female specialists who will provide counseling; to protect people from repeated violence and abuse; and to strengthen the ties and cooperation of relevant agencies.
Ch.Unurbayar reported that around 20 studies and reports from domestic and international organizations, conducted from 2005 to 2013, were used in the development of the draft bill.
The draft law aims to uncover cases of domestic violence, end abuse, and prevent it from beginning, and to insure the health and safety of people living with domestic violence. It consists of six chapters with 42 purviews.

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President answers questions from parliamentary members

In the evening meeting of the Parliamentary session on April 10, President Ts.Elbegdorj reported on projects that he has completed since taking office, work that he intends to do, and he answered questions from members of parliament.

The President said, “The projects I’ve completed do not only belong to me, they are the effort of many people. Secondly, I will cooperate with citizens to reach achievements, realizing initiatives from the public.” He stated that he will continue to make efforts to increase civic participation and improve the authority of the provinces; to strengthen justice and legislation; to support national producers and environmentally-friendly projects; and to spread the history, customs and tradition of Mongolia. President Ts.Elbegdorj added that he will pay attention to foreign policy and will support public initiatives. 

After presenting the report, President Ts.Elbegdorj answered questions from parliamentary members.

MP D.Demberel: Do you support the policy to overcome the economic crisis? What sector do you support more to overcome the economy? 

Ts.Elbegdorj: I have already expressed my position on issues regarding the economic crisis. The most important thing is to create new factories. The history of developed countries shows that they supported new job creation and technology during an economic crisis. We should resolve the issues of the stock exchange and land as soon as possible. A Mongolian citizen should be able to privatize land. We should have our own railway, transit transport, and our own petroleum and we should build power plants. 

MP D.Lundeejantsan: It is the first time we are hearing the report on a president’s work. I see that you have completed many projects. Mongolia has parliamentary governance. Your report mentions development a lot. How do you see the correlation between the state, governance, and development? 

Ts.Elbegdorj: The state should become more responsible. I will support projects within the frames of the  Security Council. Summarizing my time in office, I noticed that people tend to think that the state head of Mongolia does and completes all projects and makes all the decisions. Parliament should resolve small issues in addition to making amendments to the constitution. It is not necessary to give microphones to each Member of Parliament. MPs should state their minds from the podium.  

MP O.Sodbileg: What is your position on amending the Constitution of Mongolia? 

Ts.Elbegdorj: It is time to review the last 23 years of performance of the constitution. It should be discussed openly with the public. We should even discuss the seven decisions that caused its deterioration. Many issues related to legislative organizations have been raised. If we find the right solutions for the laws on criminal procedures, complying with the standards of Mongolia, we will reach the correct path. 

MP L.Erdenechimeg: Tavan Tolgoi is the one and only treasure of Mongolia with 3 million shares. The Speaker of Parliament said in the opening remarks of the spring session of Parliament that many issues that might influence national security were discussed in the Tavan Tolgoi agreement. What do you think about that? 

Ts.Elbegdorj: I hope the Tavan Tolgoi agreement doesn’t become a dispute between politicians. You parliamentarians should express your positions and share your suggestions during the discussions of the Tavan Tolgoi agreement in the parliamentary session meeting. As of 2014, Holland was the country that invested the most in Mongolia. The lives of citizen will suffer when the economy of Mongolia shrinks. Investment will maybe decrease if this issue is postponed and reviewed.

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Bulgarian President visits Mongolia and opens Mongolia-Bulgaria Business Forum

Two presidents during press conference

On the sidelines of the official visit of the President of Bulgaria to Mongolia between May 10-13, 2015, "Mongolia-Bulgaria Business Forum" launched on May 12 at the Consensus Hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Bulgarian President R.A.Plevneliev and the Prime Minister of Mongolia Ch.Saikhanbileg gave the opening remarks.

The latter highlighted three key reasons to push forward the cooperation between the two countries. The first one are the political interests of Mongolia and Bulgaria that are now being realized through high level visits. "It is time for us to collaborate in 'win-win' strategy," he added.

Secondly, the main economic sectors of our two countries have similarities, the PM noted and said Bulgaria leads the information technology and computer production in the world. Mongolia can learn from these practices. "Our two countries can cooperate in industrial and agricultural sectors, in localizing here the Bulgarian roses, introducing the subway system, and in many other fields," he said.

In third, said the PM, Mongolia sees its landlocked geographic location as a disadvantage, "but we  have two great 'seas'--Russia and China. Mongolia can facilitate Bulgaria’s access to the Chinese market, while Bulgaria can provide Mongolia with an access to the European market." He said the Mongolian Government will support the two countries' business cooperation by all means.

The participants of the forum are, on behalf of Bulgaria, the representatives of the Association of Employers, the Informatics and Software Association, and Bulgarian businessmen, and on behalf of Mongolia--the officials from the Ministry of Mining, the Agency of IT, Postage and Communications, the Invest Mongolia Agency and Mongolian businessmen.

The Mongolian PM stressed that Mongolia sees Bulgaria as the gateway to EU for Mongolia.

During joint press conference held on May 11, the President of Mongolia - Elbegdorj Tsakhia highlighted that “this year, two countries celebrate 65th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations. Coincided with this anniversary, the visit of Mr Plevneliev has a historical importance".  “We consider Bulgaria as one of our closest and best friends in Europe, and hope that Bulgaria considers Mongolia likewise. Today we signed several documents of cooperation, and this will contribute to the bilateral cooperation,” he added.

The president of Bulgaria - Rosen Plevneliev stated that Mongolia is the most reliable partner and close friend of Bulgaria in Asia and that some 5,000 Mongolians have graduated from Bulgarian universities and institutes, and more than 3,000 have been involved in mid-career trainings in his country. He added that bilateral talks will continue on the cooperation in the spheres of medicine, land farming, food, tannery, IT and infrastructure. After the press conference, during his interview to the media, Mr Plevneliev that Bulgaria intends to open its Consulate at its Embassy in Ulaanbaatar.

A number of documents have been signed during the official visit of Bulgaria’s President to Mongolia, including the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Ministries of Mongolia and Bulgaria, the Agreement on Rendering Technical Assistance to the Agricultural Sphere, the Agreement on Scholarship Program for Mongolian students as well as Cooperation protocol between the two countries' Academies of Sciences.

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