The 2011 Global Peace Festival is being held in Ulaanbaatar on August 26 and 27. President Ts. Elbegdorj is giving a speech in conjunction with the festival on the theme, “Mongolia and Northeast Asia Peace.” Our correspondent spoke with D. Tsakhilgaan, one of the festival’s organizers.

– There have been a lot of advertisements for the Global Peace Festival. What is the purpose of it?

– An NGO called the World Mongolian Convention was organized in 2006 for the 800th anniversary of the Great Mongolian Empire. That was how the Peace Festival got started.

– Was that organized by Mongolians?

– Sure. The World Mongolian Convention includes people from Mongolian countries, as well as Mongolian speakers. At the first forum we made a “Kharkhorum Manifesto,” promising to keep, save, learn from, and enrich Mongolian language, culture, customs, and heritage. Ex-ambassador Ts. Gombosuren was appointed the head of the organization. Last year the organization held its fourth forum in Buryat, and President Ts.Elbegdorj participated in it. There is a special rule that the Mongolian president should be an honorary president for the World Mongolian Convention. Therefore ex-president N. Enkhbayar was an honorary president of the organization five years ago, and now Ts. Elbegdorj has that role.