The Minister of Foreign Affairs B. Battsetseg is attending the ASEAN Regional Forum Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia from July 13 to 14.

On the sideline of the Forum, the Foreign Minister met with Mr. Hayashi Yoshimasa, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan and Ms. Hon Penny Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia.

During her meeting with Ms. Mr. Hayashi Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Minister B. Battsetseg acknowledged the fact that agreements between the Heads of State have already started yielding results. Moreover, the parties expressed that it was very important to strengthen peace, and security, and ensure the stability of the region, especially in Northeast Asia.

In addition, as part of the development of cooperation in the tourism sector between the two countries, the Japanese government is taking certain measures to facilitate visa conditions for Mongolian citizens. One of these measures is the e-visa system, which enables Mongolian travelers to apply for and receive electronic visas online starting from April 2023. Minister of Foreign Affairs B. Battsetseg expressed her gratitude to the Japanese government for their support and efforts.

At the outset of the meeting with Ms. Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, Minister B. Battsetseg expressed her gratitude to the Chair of Australia-Mongolia Friendship Group Ms. Tania Lawrence for her participation in the Mongolia Economic Forum, leading over 100 representatives of the Australian business communities, including companies such as Rio Tinto, National Australian Bank, ANZ bank, JPMorgan Cazenove, Goldman Sachs Australia, and Export Finance Australia. Then, the parties discussed the continuation of the 3rd phase of the Australia Mongolia Extractives Program, which is being implemented from 2019 through 2024, and their further support for the Australia Mongolia Business Council, established to foster cooperation between the business communities of the two countries.

In addition, Minister B. Battsetseg expressed gratitude to the Australian Government for increasing the number of scholarships provided to Mongolia this year, taking into account the Mongolian side’s interest in increasing the number of Mongolians studying in Australia.