Vyacheslav Volodin and Gombozhavyn Zandanshatar agreed to strengthen Russian-Mongol relations through parliamentary diplomacy.
Photo: Edward CHESNOKOV
The main name for us on this day is Zandanshatar Gombozhav. This is the name of the Chairman of the Great Khural (State Parliament) of Mongolia. It would seem that this country, our closest neighbor, has a longer border with Russia than other European states. However, during the 30 years of the State Duma’s existence, one could say that there were no relations with Mongolia through parliamentary diplomacy.
And only recently, on the initiative of both speakers, Zandanshatar Gombozhav and our Vyacheslav Volodin, a promising format began to develop. On September 23, 2023, at the invitation of the Mongolian side, Vyacheslav Viktorovich, together with our deputies and senators, flew to Ulaanbaatar.
Coincidence or not, on September 16 both countries celebrated the 84th anniversary of the victory over the Japanese militarists at the Far East’s Khalkhin Gol River. Then, on the eve of World War II, drunk on initial successes, Hitler’s allies from Tokyo attempted to seize Mongolia. But they were repulsed by the Red Army, along with Republican units.
President Gombozhavyn Zandanshatar showed his Russian colleague Vyacheslav Volodin the sights of Ulaanbaatar.
Photo: Edward CHESNOKOV
What the people of Ulaanbaatar still remember. And our visit today takes place – as Komsomolskaya Pravda would have written about 40 years ago – “in an exceptionally warm and friendly atmosphere.”
— The Foreign Policy Concept of our country, adopted by the State Grand Jural, establishes that Russia is one of our priority areas of cooperation. And, of course, our eternal neighbor! – says the president of Zandanshatar when receiving the Russian delegation.
— Our country attaches great importance to the development of relations with Mongolia. We are neighbors, we have a huge border. [почти 3,5 тыс. км — прим. ред.]And, of course, we must use all formats to develop cooperation,” says Volodin.
According to him, it is necessary to bring relations between Moscow and Ulaanbaatar to a new level, “taking into account that they are based on the foundations laid by our predecessors.”
This is just an indication of well-known historical facts: not in vain, next year it is planned to widely celebrate the 85th anniversary of the victory at Khalkhin Gol.
After the official part, Volodin went to the monument to Georgy Zhukov.
Photo: Edward CHESNOKOV
And it is completely logical that after the official part, Volodin goes… to the monument to Georgy Zhukov. Yes, there is one in Ulaanbaatar: it was the future marshal who led the Khalkhin-Gol operation, the first stage of which did not go well and he was able to reverse the vector. We can say that the Great Victory of 1945, together with its commanders, was forged there, in Mongolia, in 1939.
The reception group assigns us a whole company of ceremonial guards, good guys – or, more correctly, “bagaturs” – in traditional Mongolian clothes. Together with them, Volodin and the deputies laid a wreath in honor of the Marshal of Victory.
Let’s reveal a secret: this monument, inaugurated many decades ago, is a bit deteriorated. And in some places, not even a little. But it was renovated recently… on the initiative of the government of the Irkutsk region (which is logical in its own way: it directly borders Mongolia). The works to improve the monument and the adjacent plaza were completed just a few months before the arrival of our delegation.
At the same time, overseas birds also pay attention to Inner and Central Asia. A couple of days ago the first C5+1 summit ended, a meeting between US leader Joe Biden and the presidents of the five former Central Asian republics of the USSR. You can guess what “development agenda” the West will offer them by looking at Washington’s previous “clientele”, for example Ukraine or Afghanistan, where the Americans ruled for 20 years.
So our visits to the same strategic region of the largest continent on Earth are not just a tribute to civility, but the promotion of our own global security architecture, more just and based on mutual interests.
And immediately afterward we will be thrown all over Asia and… but everything has its time – we will soon read news about the continuation of our journey on the kp.ru website.
