British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Indo-Pacific, Minister Catherine West MP, welcomed Mongolian Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan to London on 26 February 2025 for the 15th UK-Mongolia roundtable, and the first annual political dialogue under the UK-Mongolia Joint Cooperation Roadmap towards a Comprehensive Partnership.
Minister West and Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan affirmed the strong partnership between the UK and Mongolia, grounded in shared democratic values, open societies, and a growing economic relationship.
Both sides noted deepening geopolitical tensions, stressed their commitment to upholding the principles of the UN Charter, and called on all countries to refrain from using force against the territorial integrity and political independence of any state. They agreed to continue to work closely to uphold international law and advance our shared principles.
Economic Growth
The Ministers confirmed that the UK and Mongolia will work together with a view to increasing the volume of trade and investment between the two countries – to drive mutual economic growth
They agreed to continue discussions with UK Export Finance to explore support for the construction of the metro system in Ulaanbaatar.
Talks also focused on facilitating trade and investment by working towards the removal of barriers to trade and red tape, and creating stable and transparent business environments.
Energy Transition
The Ministers stressed the urgency of action to address the impacts of climate change. They committed to achieving the UK and Mongolia’s NDC and welcomed the recent allocation from the NDC Partnership to Mongolia, including funding from the UK, to reach Mongolia’s climate goals.
They encouraged greater public-private partnerships to leverage public finance for private sector investment in line with both countries’ climate strategies.
They looked forward to Mongolia hosting COP17 on Desertification in 2026 and agreed to facilitate an exchange of experts to support preparations for and the outcome of COP17.
Women’s empowerment
The Ministers reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to gender equality and to expanding the number of women elected to both parliaments. Minister West welcomed the expanded number of female parliamentarians in the Mongolian parliament following elections in 2024, and commended Mongolia for its quota target of 40% of female candidates by 2028. UK and Mongolia’s joint statement after the first annual UK-Mongolia Political Dialogue Amarsaikhan welcomed the UK achieving its highest level of female representation in the UK parliament following the 2024 UK general election.
The ministers agreed to work together in multilateral fora ahead of the 30th anniversary of the “Beijing Declaration and Platform Action”.
Critical minerals
The Ministers agreed on the importance of extracting Mongolia’s mineral wealth in a manner that preserves Mongolia’s unique environmental legacy. They discussed the importance of responsible mining, and of high environmental, social and governance standards, as well as investing in Mongolian’s skills development.
In this regard, both sides expressed their commitment to cooperate within the framework of Memorandum of Understanding on critical minerals.
Education, Civil Society and People-to-people ties
The Ministers noted the strength of people-to-people ties between the UK and Mongolia, including the exchange of students through the Chevening Scholarship programme and “Mission 2100” scholarship programme initiated by the President of Mongolia.
Minister West reaffirmed the UK’s support for English language teaching in Mongolia and both ministers welcomed the progress in expanding English language provision. This could include building on existing partnerships with British companies to increase access to and improve the quality of English Language teaching, as well as supporting remote and disadvantaged communities with UK Overseas Development Assistance.
The Ministers agreed to explore possibilities to expand higher education opportunities for Mongolian students, including through the Chevening Scholarship, and to expand partnerships between universities.
They looked forward to the exhibition of the Arts of the Mongol World to be held at the Royal Academy in 2027, and welcomed expanding cultural cooperation.
They noted the important contribution that civil society organisations play in democratic societies, and committed to continue to engage with and seek inputs from civil society organisations representing a broad range of communities to strengthen democratic debate.
Minister West and Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan looked forward to and highlighted the importance of future high-level visits between the UK and Mongolia.
On the sidelines of the roundtable meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Amarsaikhan held a bilateral meeting with Minister Gareth Thomas. During the meeting, the Ministers held constructive and fruitful discussions on further broadening the bilateral relationship in areas of mutual interest, including the promotion of trade and economic cooperation.
