During the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit earlier this month in Qingdao, Mongolian President Kh.Battulga said that his country is studying the possibility to upgrade the level of its participation in the SCO and a discussion on this matter has been launched in political and social circles in Mongolia. However, J.Bat-Erdene, Minister of Road and Transport Development said there is no need to join the SCO.

Under the “Development Road” programme, Mongolia aims to increase the volume of foreign trade to USD 200 billion by 2020. It was USD 84 billion last year. Furthermore, Mongolia is pursuing a policy to develop transit transportation for connecting an economic corridor between Mongolia-Russia-China to European Union as well as the economic and trade transportation corridors of the SCO.

Under the SCO corridors, six countries such as Russia, China, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan have united for conducting transit transportation along six key routes. Mongolia has the right to join an agreement of a member states of the SCO for composing good environment for international transportation. It does not need to be member of the SCO for joining the agreement.