Interviews | Diplomacy | East Asia

Amb. Ina Marciulionyte on the Future of EU-Mongolia Ties

EU projects “prioritize sustainable development, economic development, and democracy in Mongolia” – and, increasingly “peace and security” as well.

In the last several years, Mongolia’s relationship with the European Union – as opposed to purely bilateral diplomacy – has become more important to Ulaanbaatar’s engagement with Europe. The EU is stepping up its game in the Indo-Pacific as well, signing a historic free trade deal with India that is poised to alter economic flows in the region. 

The Diplomat spoke with Ambassador/Head of Delegation of the European Union to Mongolia Ina Marciulionyte on Mongolia-EU relations, collaboration projects, and what’s next the relations in a quickly changing geopolitical environment. 

Mongolia and the EU celebrated their 35th anniversary in 2024. How would you assess the past bilateral relations? What were the past shortcomings and how can relations be augmented?

Over the years, the EU and Mongolia have built a strong relation of confidence and have demonstrated solidarity on several occasions. For instance, the EU has actively supported Mongolia during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as provided emergency funding in response to the 2024 dzud and drought that affected hundreds of thousands of herders. We had done so already in 2017.

In 2017, the EU opened a diplomatic mission in Ulaanbaatar, which allowed me to meet with government ministers, Members of Parliament, local governors, and business representatives. I had also regularly met with Mongolian citizens, youth in particular, who are a large part of the Mongolia’s population. 

In addition, Mongolia also shares democracy and the acknowledgement that fundamental freedoms must be protected. These values are shared and align with the EU. 

Since 2024 – which marked 35 years of diplomatic relations – we have started exchanges on peace and security, a priority for Mongolia as for the EU. With the support of the EU Foreign Policy Instruments facility, a group of Mongolian peacekeepers was trained in Slovenia on the gender dimension of peacekeeping operations. And the EU wishes to engage more closely in the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Peace and Security in Northeast Asia. 

Last but not least, the Mongolia-EU cooperation projects support Mongolia in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and gaining economic and political independence in relation with its geography.

What are some of the current EU projects being implemented in Mongolia, particularly in the energy sector and renewable energy?

Our works prioritize sustainable development, economic development, and democracy in Mongolia. As part of our project, the EU currently has a significant project to implement the Forest Partnership signed by President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and the president of the European Commission in 2022. The partnership aims at improving the sustainable management of forests in Mongolia and at modernizing  agriculture, especially cashmere and the meat value chain. I believe that it is urgent to reduce grazing pressure on Mongolian steppes that are in great danger of disappearing, leaving a desertified landscape instead. 

Mongolia is also hosting the COP17 of the UNCCD this coming August and is expected to showcase Mongolia’s efforts in managing rangelands and nomadic herding. 

The EU also supports Mongolia’s shift of energy production from brown to green by financing a transmission line between Sainshand and Choir in the Gobi area, together with connecting solar and wind farms to the rest of the grid. We are looking at further investments in the sector in the short term, with possibilities for generation, transmission, storage but also energy savings with better insulation. That being said, the EU works closely with EBRD and the European Investment Bank to support Mongolia’s effort in this matter.

The EU and India recently signed a free trade agreement, which has been dubbed the “mother of all deals.” What does this entail for countries like Mongolia, in terms of establishing new trade patterns and being flexible in times of uncertainties? 

The message EU and India gave with the strategic agreements they signed, including the Joint Strategic Agenda and the Security and Defense Partnership, is that they both aim at stability and predictability within the international rules-based order with the U.N. at its center. The free trade agreement gives a strong message on the importance of diversifying our supply chains. I hope it will be an inspiration for Mongolia as regards the importance of strengthening the U.N. in these........

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