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Szabolcs Veres
30/07/2024 17:01
Relations between Mongolia and Uzbekistan go back more than three decades. On December 19, 1991, Mongolia recognized Uzbekistan's independence and diplomatic relations between the two countries were officially established on January 25, 1992. Previously, between 1977 and 1994, there was a Mongolian Consulate General and later an embassy in Tashkent, but this was closed in the mid-1990s by government decision due to Mongolia's difficult economic situation.
Later, during the visit of a delegation led by the Mongolian Deputy Foreign Minister to Uzbekistan in 1996, a protocol on cooperation and consultation between the foreign ministries of the two countries was signed. In 1999, a delegation from the Mongolian Foreign Ministry visited Uzbekistan for inter-ministerial consultations. On July 5, 2005, Uzbek President Islam Karimov and Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar met face-to-face at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of State Summit in Astana, the first time that the heads of the two countries spoke to each other at the highest level.
In 2000, Uzbekistan supported Mongolia's candidacy for membership of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In 2004, at the request of Uzbekistan, Mongolia was admitted as an observer to a meeting of the Foreign Ministers' Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Mongolia's relations with its regional neighbors
Although Mongolia – according to some interpretations[1] - – geographically belongs to Central Asia, its relations with the countries of the region are rather poorly developed. Mongolia's foreign policy focuses on Russia and China, i.e. on the countries with which it has land borders. All other states are defined as "third neighbors" in Mongolia's foreign policy concept", including major powers such as the United States.
The visit to Mongolia was the first official visit to Uzbekistan by the current President of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries. In the run-up to the visit, it was already known that one of the highlights of the trip to Tashkent would be the opening of Mongolia's diplomatic mission in Tashkent. Bilateral cooperation between The and Uzbekistan was also discussed at the meeting in Tashkent.
Among the Central Asian countries, Mongolia has the most intensive relations with Kazakhstan, to which the presence of the approximately 100,000-strong Kazakh diaspora in Mongolia contributes significantly. Uzbekistan ranks second in terms of relations with Mongolia. Mutual interest in cooperation between Tashkent and Ulaanbaatar only began a few years ago. The most important areas of cooperation between the two countries traditionally concern the agricultural sector. Thus, in 2022, the turnover of agricultural and food products from Uzbekistan to Mongolia amounted to 5.5 million dollars, and exports from Uzbekistan to Mongolia amounted to 4.4 million dollars, which led to the development of cooperation in the field of agriculture. At the same time, Mongolia has a stable demand for fruit and vegetables from Uzbekistan. Over the past two years, Tashkent and Ulaanbaatar have expressed their intention to organize the export of meat, meat products and leather, as well as to strengthen the exchange of experience in the development of horticulture.
Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkhiin Battsetseg visited Tashkent in March 2023 and agreed to establish a joint Mongolian-Uzbek commission for intergovernmental cooperation and to develop a joint program for the development of trade, economic and investment activities, as well as to strengthen Mongolian-Uzbek economic relations.
Visits in the name of Mongolian foreign policy and economic goals?
Mongolia sees Uzbekistan as a kind of transit hub to improve its economic and trade relations. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that Ulanbatar's rapprochement with Central Asia – and its increasing participation in various regional projects – is aimed at closer cooperation with the five countries of Central Asia or even observer status in the developing unity of Central Asian countries. However, due to its geographical location in Mongolia, it has no access to the oceans and is interested in using its geographical location in Uzbekistan as a transit hub.
At the same time, the relationship between Central Asia and Mongolia is a topic full of contradictions. On the one hand, geographical proximity and a similar historical and cultural paradigm make them partners. On the other hand, the lack of a direct border and differences in economic development become obstacles. Mongolia, which focuses mainly on the extraction of raw materials, does not offer any significant investment opportunities for Central Asia, including Uzbekistan.
However, from a geopolitical perspective, Mongolia and Central Asia are in a similar situation. They share borders with Russia and China and are exposed to attempts to influence other states that are trying to establish the balance of power they need. It is possible that in the future Mongolia will be invited as an observer or participant to consultative meetings of the heads of state of the region, similar to Azerbaijan, which would be a step towards strengthening the subjectivity of Central Asia. This would be a step towards strengthening the subjectivity of Central Asia. However, this step is more of a symbolic nature, as in practice there are no institutions that can really strengthen the unity of the country as an actor. Nevertheless, this step could become an important symbol of relations in political rhetoric and diplomacy.
Central Asia is currently in a phase of active change. The countries of the region are striving for economic and political development and are increasingly opening up to the world. They are working more closely with other states through international organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Eurasian Economic Community, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia or the European Union.
[1] In the narrower and at the same time most widespread sense, Central Asia primarily comprises the territory of present-day Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, a definition that is also used and accepted by the United Nations Statistical Division (UNSD). However, some accounts and interpretations also define Afghanistan, Mongolia, eastern Iran, northern Pakistan, Kashmir and the western Chinese province of Xinjiang as well as Tibet as part of Central Asia.
The author is a researcher at the Eurasia Center
