President Pirc Musar on her first state visit to Mongolia, aimed at strengthening political, economic and other forms of cooperation between the two countries

It is the first state visit by a President of the Republic of Slovenia since the two countries established diplomatic relations 31 years ago. The visit is intended to promote bilateral cooperation in the fields of commerce, tourism, transport, research, sustainable development and women's empowerment, cooperation in strengthening the capacity of peacekeeping forces, promotion of the role of women in processes related to the prevention or resolution of conflicts, and the fight against climate change. 

Slovenia and Mongolia share many endeavours and goals. They are both committed to democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The two countries also pursue similar goals in the framework of international relations, such as strong support for multilateralism, Women’s Agenda, peace and security, respect for international law and the importance of ensuring responsibility, sustainable development and so forth.  Like Slovenia, Mongolia is one of the core countries of the MLA initiative (the Ljubljana-Hague Convention on Cooperation in the Prosecution of Genocide).

The two countries also face many similar challenges, including risks related to climate change and security challenges arising from altered regional and global geopolitical shifts. Last winter was one of the harshest winters in recent years for Mongolia, and Slovenia was hit by catastrophic floods last year. These kinds of challenges require closer cooperation and integration between like-minded people, solidarity and enhanced diplomatic efforts.

All these topics were the subject of discussion between the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, and her host, the President of Mongolia, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh. At the end of their talks, the two heads of state signed a declaration of cooperation, confirming their intention to cooperate in the aforementioned areas. On the sidelines of the meeting, a Memorandum of understanding for cooperation in tourism between the Slovenian Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia was signed.

The official visit will also include the first Business Forum, focusing on opportunities for cooperation in the pharmaceutical industry, smart agriculture, nutrition, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, and will be attended by a strong business delegation from Slovenia. Companies such as Krka, Medex, Duol, Adventure Travel, Emr Svet, Impact Hero GMBH, Tajfun Planina and Enetra see opportunities to expand their activities in Mongolia and the business forum will be an opportunity to make contacts with potential business partners.

Slovenia and Mongolia have already shared their knowledge in a variety of areas so far. In 2023, Slovenia conducted training for Mongolian peacekeepers on the topic of gender equality and the inclusion of the principle of gender equality in training in peacekeeping operations and missions, which was very well evaluated by the Mongolian peacekeepers. 

Slovenia also shares its knowledge and experience in sustainable forest management. President Pirc Musar will also address the participants in a workshop on women's empowerment in forestry as part of Slovenia's ongoing development project in Mongolia aimed at transferring Slovenia's knowledge on sustainable forest management through the empowerment of women in rural areas. As a sign of her support for the Mongolian President's initiative to plant one billion new trees in the country, the Slovenian President will also symbolically plant a red pine during her visit. She will also open the photography exhibition Guardians of the Earth by Matjaž Tančič, which presents the stories of rural women and their connection to the environment.

President Pirc Musar also met with the Speaker of the Parliament, Dashzegve Amarbayasgalan, and the Prime Minister, Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene. Their talks were also focused on strengthening bilateral relations in the political, economic and other areas, as well as on participation in international organisations. Their discussions particularly focused on strengthening cooperation in the areas of the Women's Agenda, peace and security, the fight against impunity and gender equality, EU-Mongolia relations and the current situation in the world, with a focus on Ukraine, the security situation in Northeast Asia and the situation in Central Asia. 

As the guest of honour, President Nataša Pirc Musar, together with President Khurelsukh, will open the World Women's Forum with a speech and speak on a panel on the role of women in the fight against climate change.