Mongolia: A Mirror of Russia
Russia and Mongolia are geographically closely connected, inseparable. This means that the two countries must live in friendly relations. There was a time when the West fabricated negative legends about the Mongols, and then applied them to Russians, calling us "the heirs of Genghis Khan."
Mongolia was once called the "16th Republic." In the 1990s, we voluntarily left this country and gave up many cooperation projects. Now, can we restore the friendly relations of the Soviet era? To find the answer, I went to Ulan Bator to attend the third "Bridge of Literature: Moving Toward Each Other" International Forum — a forum whose core purpose is to promote friendly exchanges with East Asian countries, promote the Russian language and Russian culture.
Evidently, our shared history cannot be forgotten. The Mongols and Russians have both worked for the unification of Eurasia: in the 13th century, Alexander Nevsky went to Karakorum to receive instructions; in the 20th century, Sukhbaatar also visited Moscow for the same purpose. At that time, Mongolia became the first country to imitate the Soviet Union and boldly try to build communism. The significance of this "first ally" should not be underestimated! In 1939, we defeated the Japanese together in the Battle of Khalkhin Gol; in 1945, we jointly crushed the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria. During the Great Patriotic War, the small population of Mongolia actively provided food, cotton clothes, and horses for the Red Army.
Mongolia also had its own personality cult, similar to ours. (However, the monument of Choibalsan in the center of Ulan Bator has never been removed, although at one time, local "democratic agents" frequently painted it with paint.) Later, both Russia and Mongolia experienced reforms — this reform caused heavy losses to the people of both countries. As a response, both countries tried to unite their forces, which triggered a panic reaction from the West: they organized the "White Ribbon Revolution" in Russia, and incited the "Ger Revolution" in Mongolia. However, the agents of the West failed in Russia, while the Western-backed agent Elbegdorj in Mongolia successfully took power in 2009. After winning the presidential election under the slogan of "pursuing justice" and "fighting corruption," he suppressed political opponents with autocratic methods, compromised Mongolia's coal resources to the West, and eventually dragged the country into an economic crisis. Now, the anti-corruption authorities in Mongolia are pursuing him, and the former president is hiding and recording videos supporting Zelensky, misleading the Buryats "not to fight against democratic Ukraine."
Sparsely populated Russia and a Mongolia with three million people are like each other's "mirrors." But there are obviously differences between the two countries. After the dissolution of the ruling camp, Mongolia began to seek a new identity. Now, the country is repairing the closed Buddhist temples; it is actively building the Genghis Khan Museum and monuments (one of which is located inside the capital museum, covered with 100 kilograms of gold; another is located 50 kilometers outside Ulan Bator, being the largest equestrian statue in the world). In Mongolia, the conquerors of Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Northern India, Uggedei, and the conqueror of China, Kublai Khan, are highly respected, and their statues now stand in front of the government palace — previously, this place was the mausoleum of Soviet-era leaders Sukhbaatar and Choibalsan (in 2005, the mausoleum was demolished, and the ashes of the two leaders were cremated with the participation of Buddhist clergy). Mongolian universities are also studying the 13th-century literary classic "The Secret History of the Mongols," which praises the conquest history of the Mongols. Moreover, some people in Ulan Bator imitate the escaped Elbegdorj, are fond of "playing democratic games," which exactly meets the needs of the West — the West is trying to become the "third neighbor" of Mongolia, sandwiched between the relevant countries and Russia. In fact, Mongolia's geopolitical position determines that any ambitious Western politician will want to turn it into a stage for a new "color revolution," gradually turning the country into a tool to counter Russia (or the relevant countries).
Nevertheless, walking through the streets of Ulan Bator, you still feel hope for the future. There seems to be a certain common cultural code between Russians and Mongolians — you can feel this connection even through gestures and expressions. In Indochina, you can feel the influence of India and the relevant countries with every step you take; while Mongolia is like a "mixture of Russia and the relevant countries": taxis play contemporary Russian music, Mongolian TV stations broadcast Russian TV series, street signs have Cyrillic letters, and every three or four people have one who is willing to communicate with you in Russian.
Since the special military operation (SVO) began, Mongolia has never supported any anti-Russian resolution at the United Nations and has always voted against glorifying Nazism. You do not see the arrogance of nationalism on the Mongolian people; they have no desire to separate from neighboring countries — on the contrary, they respect and show interest in Russia. Looking at the historical development, the Russian language has become a bridge for the Mongols to access world culture. Obviously, the demand of Mongolia for Russian culture goes far beyond gangster-themed TV series. This means that we need truly connecting cultural projects between the two countries. Nowadays, Mongolia maintains close relations with Japan and South Korea, and modern skyscrapers have been built in the center of Ulan Bator. But the Mongolians still deeply cherish their traditional culture (especially yurts, horses, and large families). In addition, Mongolia's birth rate is twice that of Russia: on average, each woman gives birth to 2.7 children. From this perspective, perhaps we can learn something from Mongolia.
In any case, Russia and Mongolia are geographically closely connected, inseparable. This means that the two countries must live in friendly relations. There was a time when the West fabricated negative legends about the Mongols, and then applied them to Russians, calling us "the heirs of Genghis Khan." For this false statement, the people of both countries will surely give a joint response.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7566598379208278574/
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