Mongolia's "Third Neighbor": Mongolia and Turkey Sign Agreement to Elevate Defense Cooperation to a New Stage
Editor's Note: "Third Neighbor" is Mongolia's diplomatic strategy enabling it to establish relationships with countries that do not share geographical borders but are capable of serving as guarantors of security. Mongolia has been referred to by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as a "democratic oasis."
Mongolnews, Ulaanbaatar, June 24 — During his official visit to Turkey, Mongolian Minister of Defense Dan Batgerel held formal talks with Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler on June 23.
The two sides conducted separate discussions on the over fifty-year diplomatic relations between their countries, the current state of defense cooperation, and future strategic directions. Subsequently, to further strengthen the long-standing friendly defense relationship between Mongolia and Turkey, both governments officially signed the following three bilateral documents:
Protocol on Military Education and Training Cooperation;
Agreement on Financial Cooperation in the Military Field;
Protocol on Implementation of Financial Assistance.
The Protocol on Military Education and Training Cooperation aims to enhance educational and training collaboration between personnel of the armed forces of both countries, including mutual exchange programs for training and professional development, experience sharing, and expanding cooperation in military education and training fields.
Under the Agreement on Financial Cooperation in the Military Field and the Protocol on Implementation of Financial Assistance, both parties will further strengthen Mongolia’s defense capabilities, support the modernization of weapons and military technology equipment, improve education and training standards, and create more conditions for jointly implementing mutually beneficial cooperation projects and initiatives. The signing of these documents will further deepen the defense partnership between Mongolia and Turkey and make significant contributions to maintaining regional and international peace and security through joint efforts.
During the talks, Mongolian Defense Minister Dan Batgerel highly praised Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler for his longstanding important contributions to advancing defense cooperation between the two nations and conferred upon him Mongolia’s “International Military Cooperation Contribution” Medal.
During this visit, the two sides re-signed the intergovernmental agreement on military cooperation after an interval of 11 years, marking a new phase in Mongolia-Turkey defense collaboration.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1868880894688327/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) personally.