By special decree of Mongolian President Kh.Battulga, earlier today, Thursday 18 October, Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation was awarded the Military Merit Medal. Sergey Shoigu, who is currently making an official visit to Ulaanbaatar was presented with the medal by Speaker of Parliament M.Enkhbold in a ceremony at the State Palace.

President Kh.Battulga conveyed his appreciation to Sergey Shoigu for his contribution for strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the defence sector and support to the Mongolian army.

Sergey Shoigu has become the first Russian defence minister to make an official visit to Mongolia in the last 10 years, however, he is no stranger to the country – in 1991, he was appointed as Moscow’s Minister for Emergency Situations, in which capacity he made several visits to Ulaanbaatar and helped build close relations with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).