The Chairman of the State Great Khural (parliament) of Mongolia M.Enkhbold with his spouse flew to Vietnam for an official visit yesterday (18 January). In Hanoi, M.Enkhbold is participating in the Asia-Pacific parliamentary forum which is taking place from 18-21 January.

However, the first official visit of Mongolia’s President Kh.Battulga is still under discussion. Kh.Battulga is awaiting the results of the Russian presidential election which will be held in March.  Incumbent President Vladimir Putin, the heavy favorite to win, announced that he seeks re-election as an independent candidate. After the Russian presidential election, Kh.Battulga will choose which neighbour he will visit first. He is, however, expecting to participate in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation which will be held before the Russian election. Also, Kh.Battulga is planning to watch the World Cup in Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.

On Wednesday, Mongolian Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh returned from his three-day visit to South Korea. During the trip, he met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and negotiated with his counterpart Lee Nak-yeong. The main result of the visit is that a soft-loan deal has been reached, under which Mongolia will receive a total of USD 700 million, with a repayment period of 30 years and interest of 2 percent. Also, South Korea has agreed to increase quota of Mongolian workers.