India Inks Defence Cooperation Pact With Mongolia

[SpArK]

India Inks Defence Cooperation Pact With Mongolia​

Giving a fillip to its ties with Mongolia, India today signed a defence cooperation agreement with the northeast Asian country and announced that it would extend a USD 20 million Line of Credit for a joint IT, education and outsourcing centre to be set up here.

India and Mongolia also inked two pacts on media exchanges and cooperation between their planning commissions in the presence of President Pratibha Patil, who is here on a three-day visit.

Patil is the first Indian President to visit Mongolia in 23 years.

After her half-an-hour restricted talks with this country's leadership, Patil said her parleys with President Tsakhia Elbegdorj were held in a warm, friendly and cordial atmosphere.

"My visit seeks to strengthen our relationship, building upon the momentum generated by the visit of President Elbegdorj to India in September 2009, when our ties were expanded to a comprehensive partnership," she said.

"We have signed an agreement of cooperation between the Planning Commission of India and its Mongolian counterpart. There is considerable expertise on plan formulation and implementation in India. We look forward to sharing our experience in this area with Mongolia," Patil said.

A bilateral defence cooperation agreement was also signed, she said. "...India is willing and ready to expand collaboration in this sphere."


Besides, she said that New Delhi will extend a Line of Credit of USD 20 million for the 'India–Mongolia Joint Information Technology, Education and Outsourcing Centre' to be established here.

The two countries also discussed ways to further cooperation in the peaceful use of radioactive minerals and nuclear energy.

"We also agreed to explore the possibilities of improving air connectivity between our two countries so as to enhance contacts between our peoples, including through tourism," Patil said.

With an MoU on media exchanges signed between the two governments, "we can now hope to see more media persons from Mongolia in India. We will also send more Indian journalists here," she said.

The agreements were signed in a grand hall at the National Assembly.

Patil, who arrived here yesterday following her three-day visit to South Korea, visited the historic Sukhbaatar square today and offered floral tributes to a statue of Mahatma Gandhi here. Members of the Indian community sang a song in praise of the Father of the Nation.

The President was given a ceremonial welcome by the Mongolian security services personnel at the Sukhbaatar square, which has a grand statue of Genghis Khan.

She took salute from the force during the grand ceremony and said 'thank you' in Mongolian language, which was applauded by a number of people present at the event, including politicians and officials.

Mongolia is celebrating the "Year of Anniversaries", including the 805th anniversary of the establishment of the Great Mongolian State under the leadership of the legendary Genghis Khan and 90th anniversary of the Mongolian Independence and Sovereignty.

Patil stressed on reviving Mongolia's contacts with Nalanda University, which is being rejuvenated as a regional seat of learning and excellence, in particular of Buddhist studies.

"It is encouraging that we also share other values such as democracy, rule of law and upholding the rights of the individual. This forms the bedrock of our bilateral cooperation," Patil said.

"My discussions with President Elbegdorj today were wide-ranging and covered the entire gamut of our bilateral relations as well regional and global issues of mutual interest," she said.

India will also upgrade and modernise the Rajiv Gandhi Art and Production School as well as the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Centre of Excellence in Information and Communication Technology here.


"We will complete this work soon. Further, we have agreed to work together on a joint India–Mongolia School," Patil said.

Mongolia is spread in an area of 1.565 million square km and has a population of about 2.7 million. About 92 per cent of its population follows Buddhism and the country shares its border with China and Russia.

India and Mongolia are good trading partners. India exports pharma products, veterinary medicines, automobiles and their parts to this country and the bilateral trade has touched USD 16.9 million.

India has also decided to increase the number of slots available to Mongolia under the Indian Technical Education Cooperation (ITEC) Programme to 150.

"The number of Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarships available to Mongolia will be increased to 50. India will assist in human resource development and capacity building efforts of Mongolia," Patil said.

Extending her support to Mongolia "in any way," she thanked the country for backing India's bid for the permanent membership of an expanded United Nations Security Council.
FILED ON: JUL 28, 2011

news.outlookindia.com | India Inks Defence Cooperation Pact With Mongolia

 

[EjazR]

That is an excellent development. Mongolia must be squeezed between China and Russia and would welcome outside support in any shape or form.

Its interesting to note how the birth place of Gengis Khan and Halaku Khan who invaded most of the world from Korea to Easter Europe as well as all the way to Iraq including present day Pakistan slaughtering million in its wake and enslaving many more is look with such respect and honour in Mongolia it self. And most people will be surprised to know that they were Buddhists with a mixture of Shamanists beliefs.

 

[Maritimer]

Any idea what is the nature of this defence cooperation? Will it involve military equipment sales or any strategic cooperation vis-a-vis China?? IAF base in Mongolia and IN base in Vietnam would make India more "assertive" in Asia. If not a full-fledged military base, a listening post would go a long way too.

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Any idea what is the nature of this defence cooperation? Will it involve military equipment sales or any strategic cooperation vis-a-vis China?? IAF base in Mongolia and IN base in Vietnam would make India more "assertive" in Asia. If not a full-fledged military base, a listening post would go a long way too.

Mongolia did offer India to have an airforce base, but we didn't continue.

The current will mostly involve joint exercises.

You can read more here:

India-Mongolia Relations: Implications for
Regional Cooperation in North East Asia
India shelves proposal to set up airbase in Mongolia?

 

[Veeru]

Mongolia can be a very important partner against china.

 

[navp007]

i think Mongolia is the only one neighbor that china never threatened.

 

[Tshering22]

Great move. Mongolia might be a secluded central Asian country, but it has tremendous potential as a future partner to us. Since their military is just to maintain internal security (they just border Russia and China, both of whom are like about a lakh times stronger than Mongolia), I think it is good to extend military cooperation with them. Wonder whether it involves training soldiers or selling equipment or both.

i think Mongolia is the only one neighbor that china never threatened.

That's because it has little reason to do so against a desert-central Asian country. But yeah, Mongolia is the only independent country in that are that Chinese have not threatened to "liberate". The 'stans can also be ignored (but they are Russia's official backyard after the unofficial breakup of USSR). Except for these states, everyone else has been either "liberated" or threatened to be done so.

 

[Quick MIK]

We must increase our bilateral defence & trade relation with mongolia .trade $17 mil.it is very negligable now .there is still room for improvement.

 

[jbond197]

Nice development.. We should give a taste of their own medicine to some.. It's just a start lets take it forward.. Mongolia is one of the pearl and we need to be there..

 

[somebozo]

In event of war how will indian get their support and supplies in there? and forget war even during peace time india needs support from either russia or china to get millitary supplies in their. This is a look good feel good agreement however with little practical value.

 

[SpArK]

In event of war how will indian get their support and supplies in there? and forget war even during peace time india needs support from either russia or china to get millitary supplies in their. This is a look good feel good agreement however with little practical value.

Who said its a war pact?

 

[angeldemon_007]

Mongols are good fighters. I think we should go for the airbase or use it secretly for our intelligence agencies....

 

[BJP*]

i think Mongolia is the only one neighbor that china never threatened.

yeah!!! china claimed all of the mongolia, not even its piece of land ... very cordial relations though

 

[coffin]

Mongols are good fighters. I think we should go for the airbase or use it secretly for our intelligence agencies....

Use mangoliya for our Intel Agencies??? why can't we do it from here We do share large border with them ??? I think somebozo has raised a nice point even if we we go for an IAF base what abt the supplies??? And if Mongols are good fighter how will it help I don't think they will ever help us against chinkies or are you talking abt just for billateral military exercises.

 

[Tshering22]

Use mangoliya for our Intel Agencies??? why can't we do it from here We do share large border with them ??? I think somebozo has raised a nice point even if we we go for an IAF base what abt the supplies??? And if Mongols are good fighter how will it help I don't think they will ever help us against chinkies or are you talking abt just for billateral military exercises.

That is because Beijing is much closer to Mongolia than India. The only thing we can look at is Tibetan monks (crushed under PLA boots) and Lhasa's slow ethnic warfare sponsored by CCP against innocent Buddhist monks. What's the use of such an intel in terms of military importance? We need something concrete and serious and that can be obtained only through a country that is much more closer to their capital i.e. Beijing.

Mongols are good fighters. I think we should go for the airbase or use it secretly for our intelligence agencies....

This is not 12th century where horse-wielding Mongols could threaten Chinese. The Mongols would be entering a slaughterhouse if they challenged the Dragon. PLA would overrun entire Mongolia like in about a couple of hours. They might be one-to-one good fighters but that matters little in terms of modern warfare. The amount of weapons that Mongolian military has is less than even a single brigade unit of the PLA. Do you really think they would risk their survival by challenging the CCP?

It is best for listening posts and intel groups for discreet intel collection but anything more than that would be impractical.

They are better off training with us on counter-terrorism, crowd control, checking infiltration, border vigilance and modern warfare directly rather going suicidal. We can take on the Dragon; they cannot even dream of it.

In event of war how will indian get their support and supplies in there? and forget war even during peace time india needs support from either russia or china to get millitary supplies in their. This is a look good feel good agreement however with little practical value.

For once, you make sense. But this is not about a war pact. We are not going to use Mongolia to strike Beijing. It is simply an agreement to cooperate between our countries that's all.