Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently concluded a 6-country trip to the Indo-Pacific, with a visit to Mongolia.
At a press briefing in Ulaanbaatar, Secretary Blinken said, “I’ve heard from countries across the region about the vision that we all share for a free, open, connected, secure, prosperous, resilient region.”
“That means, simply put, that problems will be dealt with openly; rules will be reached transparently and applied fairly; people, goods, ideas will be able to flow freely and lawfully on land, skies, cyberspace, the open seas,” he said. “And it means that people and countries will have the freedom to choose their own future. Mongolia is a central partner in this region.”
The United States and Mongolia are linked by shared democratic values and common interests, said Secretary Blinken, and our ties, including in building economic resilience, are growing stronger:
“Guided by the economic roadmap that we launched last summer, we’re strengthening supply chains, we’re reducing economic dependencies, we’re creating good jobs – that includes clean energy, where Mongolia has tremendous potential in renewables, and the digital economy, so that we can help Mongolia’s economy be more connected, resilient and secure.”
Through Mongolia’s participation in the U.S. government’s Millenium Challenge Corporation Water Compact, Ulaanbaatar’s water supply is set to increase 80 percent: “a game-changer for business,” said Secretary Blinken. He noted too that the U.S. and Mongolia are working to build on the Open Skies agreement signed last year to establish direct flights between the two countries that will create new opportunities for trade and tourism.
In talks with Mongolia’s leaders, Secretary Blinken underscored that it is the private sector that ultimately makes the decisions about investment:
“We want to make sure that the investment climate is as strong as it can possibly be here to attract all that investment with transparency, with the rule of law, with kind of support that the private sector needs.”
The United States and Mongolia are also working closely together on shared regional and global challenges. Both countries, Secretary Blinken noted, “stand up for the principles at the heart of the UN charter: sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence.”
“Thirty-five years ago, Mongolians went to the polls, voted for democracy,” said Secretary Blinken. “The United States stands as a partner in upholding and advancing our shared values.”
