PM Modi and President of Mongolia, Khaltmaagiin Battulga, on September 20 jointly inaugurated the Lord Buddha statue at Gandan Monastery in Mongolia via video-conferencing, reported ANI. The statue is a symbol of India-Mongolia spiritual partnership and shared Buddhist heritage.

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President Battulga's visit

Mongolian President Battulga is on a five-day visit and was invited by India's President Ram Nath Kovind. He arrived in New Delhi on September 19 for a State visit, which is the first of its kind in a decade. He was received by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju. He came to India with high-level officials and a business delegation. Mongolian President Battulga will attend an India-Mongolia Business Forum in New Delhi. The representatives from both sides will hold in-depth discussions on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues and will also review ongoing cooperation in fields of infrastructure, energy, disaster management, defence, security, culture, and capacity building. 

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Earlier in the day, Battulga received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and was received by President Ram Nath Kovind. He later paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

The Mongolian President is also scheduled to meet Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

Battulga's visit to India is the first state visit by a Mongolian President in the last 10 years, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, noting the two sides will hold in-depth discussions on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues. It also said that the two countries would review ongoing cooperation in fields of infrastructure, energy, disaster management, defence, security, culture, and capacity building. Mongolian President Battulga will also visit Agra and Bodh Gaya. 

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Consolidating ties

The MEA, in a statement, said, "India and Mongolia had established a Strategic Partnership in 2015 during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to Mongolia. A number of high-level exchanges have taken place since then. The partnership has seen considerable progress during the last few years. India-Mongolia Strategic Partnership is based on the ideals of freedom and democracy and on a strong foundation of our shared Buddhist heritage. India is executing an Oil Refinery Project under its Line of Credit of US$ 1 billion announced during the visit of Prime Minister Modi in 2015."

Mongolia has been previously visited by former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in April 2018, former home minister Rajnath Singh in June 2018, and former minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju in July 2018. 

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