Türkiye, Mongolia sign cooperation agreement in tourism

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) – Türkiye and Mongolia signed an intergovernmental memorandum of cooperation in tourism and exchanged views on expanding cooperation in this field, the Turkish tourism minister has said.

“We signed an intergovernmental agreement with regards to tourism between our countries with Mongolian Minister of Environment and Tourism B. Bat-Erdene. We plan to increase our actions on tourism with Mongolia,” Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

Ankara adopts relevant laws and decisions regarding tourism with a focus on sustainable development, and it is possible to increase the flow of foreign tourists to Mongolia through flights of Turkish Airlines, Mongolia’s state news agency Montsame quoted Ersoy as saying.

The two ministers also exchanged views on the creation of a tourist complex in the Orkhon Valley in central Mongolia, construction of an airport, organization of tourist exhibitions, participation in conferences, and implementation of joint projects in the field of tourism.

For his part, Bat-Erdene asked for cooperation and support in four areas: the organization of a forum, a joint exhibition of the 14th-century literature and history work Compendium of Chronicles, and construction of an international airport in the Kharkhorin town near the UNESCO World Heritage Site Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape.

Bat-Erdene also noted that the discovery of the ruins of a summer palace and settlement of the Mongolian ruler Hulegu Khan by a Mongolian researcher “opened a new page in the history of cultural relations" between Mongolia and Türkiye.

He also asked for support for research and archaeological excavations that the Mongolian State University will conduct in cooperation with Türkiye's Izmir Katip Celebi University.

On Oct. 19, Bat-Erdene spoke to Anadolu Agency about bilateral relations in the Turkish capital Ankara during the Türkiye-Mongolia Business Forum.

He said his country shares a common historical background with Türkiye, adding: "We invite the Turks to their ancestral lands."

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1969, gaining new momentum with the opening of embassies reciprocally in Ankara and Ulaanbaatar in 1996-1997. Over 100 bilateral agreements have been signed so far to strengthen the legal basis of bilateral cooperation.

In 2011, Mongolia honored Türkiye with the “third neighbor” status, along with the US, EU, Japan, South Korea, and India.