Japan and Mongolia are expected to
agree to launch negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement when their
leaders meet Monday, as the two countries mark this year the 40th anniversary
of the establishment of diplomatic ties.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and
his Mongolian counterpart Sukhbaatar Batbold, who is on a six-day visit to
Japan from Saturday, are also expected to agree that the two countries will
boost cooperation in the development of natural resources and the peaceful use
of nuclear power.
The two countries had aimed to enter
FTA talks a year ago, but efforts stalled after the government led by Noda”s
predecessor, Naoto Kan, was thrown into turmoil after the catastrophic
earthquake and tsunami that hit the country”s northeastern region and triggered
the world”s worst nuclear crisis in a quarter century.
Mongolia, whose economy grew by 17.3
percent in 2011, has no FTAs with other countries. Japan is keen on working
more closely with Mongolia as the fast-growing country is abundant in natural
resources, including coal, copper, uranium and rare earth minerals.
“I expect bilateral investment
to double in three to four years” after the planned bilateral trade
agreement takes effect, Batbold said in an interview with Kyodo News last month
in Ulaanbaatar.
Batbold also said at that time that
Mongolia hoped to receive Japanese technology and expertise for a plan to build
its first nuclear power plant.
(Mainichi Japan) March 12, 2012