The signing of the Interim Trade Agreement between Mongolia and the Eurasian Economic Union and its member states has been a landmark event for the Belarusian-Mongolian cooperation, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to Belarus Battsukh Bayarsaikhan said in an interview with BelTA. The Ambassador discussed the interaction between our two countries in politics, economy, science, education, and archaeology, elaborated on the important events and exchange of visits in 2025 and also shared plans for the upcoming year of 2026. He further spoke about the significance of Secret History of the Mongols and its translation into the Belarusian language.
Mr Ambassador, how active a political contacts between Belarus and Mongolia under current conditions?
Throughout 2025, relations and cooperation between our countries steadily advanced in all areas, in accordance with the Treaty on Friendly Relations and Cooperation, which was signed in Ulaanbaatar in June 2024.
We can see that the frequency of mutual contacts at the highest and high levels has been maintained, and a solid foundation for cooperation in new areas has been laid.
This year, the presidents of Mongolia and Belarus met during a regular session of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Additionally, the representatives of Mongolia and Belarus held a meeting on the sidelines of the 20th meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states.
I would also like to highlight that, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the Liberation War, which made a significant contribution to securing Mongolia's independence and its international recognition, the Mongolian Embassy in Belarus, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense of Mongolia and the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, organized a photo exhibition titled “Victory Over Japan” in Minsk this September.
We can see that the frequency of mutual contacts at the highest and high levels has been maintained, and a solid foundation for cooperation in new areas has been laid.
This year, the presidents of Mongolia and Belarus met during a regular session of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Additionally, the representatives of Mongolia and Belarus held a meeting on the sidelines of the 20th meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states.
Furthermore, on 15 December 2025, Rinchindorj Batbold, a member of the State Great Hural of Mongolia, head of the Mongolia-Belarus parliamentary friendship group, and Sergei Aleinik, Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs and National Security, the head of the working group for cooperation with the Parliament of Mongolia, held a web-based meeting. The close cooperation between the legislative bodies of our two countries plays a crucial role in creating a favorable legal environment for expanding collaboration in areas of mutual interest. Next year, we will work towards organizing visit exchange between the parliamentary friendship groups of our two countries.
Among the significant events, I would also like to highlight the May visit to Minsk of a delegation led by Batsukh Baatarsaikhan, a member of the Mongolian Bar Association and Executive Director of the law firm Soyombo Legal Partners. Negotiations were held with the leadership of the Belarusian Bar Association and the Court of the Eurasian Economic Union, during which the parties exchanged views on opportunities for legal assistance and cooperation in the field of defense.
A key milestone of bilateral cooperation in the outgoing year was the signing of the Interim Trade Agreement between Mongolia and the Eurasian Economic Union and its member states.
This agreement marks a new stage in relations between Mongolia and the EAEU countries, opening broad opportunities for the duty-free import of 367 commodity sub-items for each party. I am pleased to announce that Mongolia has promptly completed its domestic procedures and ratified this agreement on 12 December 2025.
Over 60 types of leather and leather goods, 204 types of wool and cashmere products, and 65 types of milk, dairy products, and animal products exported from Mongolia to the Eurasian Economic Union will now be subject to zero customs duties.
Furthermore, customs duties on mineral products such as fluorite, salt, copper, molybdenum, lead, and tungsten will be abolished. Our export enterprises are expected to receive customs duty exemptions worth at least $16.6 million at the border, a measure that will help reduce the trade imbalance.
I would like to emphasize that Belarus not only fully meets its domestic food needs but also exports approximately $9 billion worth of food products annually. I would also note the interest in utilizing and localizing Belarusian technologies, know-how, and best practices in implementing comprehensive measures to ensure food security in Mongolia.
Recently, on 5 December 2025, I met with representatives of 30 Belarusian manufacturing companies, banks, law firms, and educational institutions. We discussed import and export opportunities for both sides, taking into account the conclusion of the Interim Trade Agreement. I can confirm the strong demand in Mongolia for Belarusian products from the food, agricultural, construction, and mechanical engineering sectors. Mongolia, in turn, is ready to supply Belarus with livestock products and high-quality raw materials for the textile and leather industries.
Under this agreement, Mongolian goods will gain preferential access for meat, dairy products, light industry goods, and high-quality finished goods, including knitwear and textile apparel.
Mr Ambassador, this year Ulaanbaatar hosted the Mongolia-Belarus Young Scientists Forum. How is cooperation developing in this field?
From 29 September to 1 October 2025, the Mongolia-Belarus Young Scientists Forum was successfully held at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences in Ulaanbaatar. The main outcome was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mongolian Young Scientists’ Association and the Young Scientists Council of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. It is very important that during the visit, professional contacts were established and opportunities were explored for submitting a joint proposal to the Mongolian Foundation for Science and Technology and the Belarusian National Foundation for Fundamental Research. I am confident that the future and prosperity of our two countries lie with our young scientists.
In September 2025, a representative of the Belarusian institute successfully visited Ulaanbaatar as part of the cooperation between the Institute of History and Ethnography of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Mongolia is a unique place for archaeologists. Many scientists from around the world strive to come here. I am sure that the arrival of Belarusian representatives will contribute to the development of fruitful cooperation in archaeology.
It is also worth noting that, in order to expand the field of Mongolian studies in Mongolia and support researchers working in this area, a student from Belarus has been granted a scholarship to attend the Mongolian language preparatory courses at the Faculty of Humanities of the Mongolian State University of Science and Technology for the 2025/2026 academic year.
I would like to highlight the Conference on Mongolian Studies held in Minsk and the presentation of the Belarusian-language edition of The Secret History of the Mongols.
On the occasion of the 114th anniversary of Mongolia’s National Freedom and Independence Restoration Day, the Embassy, in cooperation with the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, held a scientific and practical conference on 19 December titled “Mongolian Studies in Eurasia 2025 – The Secret History of the Mongols”. The event generated significant interest on the Belarusian side.
Mongolian Studies is a crucial field in both national and international scientific and cultural cooperation. It plays a significant role in preserving and strengthening the linguistic and cultural identity of the Mongolian people, and contributes to its broad dissemination and popularization worldwide.
Founded in 1959, the International Association of Mongolists today brings together more than 40 centers of Mongolian studies in over 20 countries and about 500 scholars, coordinating their activities, facilitating the exchange of scientific information, and supporting research initiatives. In Mongolia, the International Congress of Mongolists is held every four years under the auspices of the Mongolian president. The XIII Congress is scheduled to take place in 2026.
The publication of The Secret History of the Mongols in Belarusian marks the 30th translation into a foreign language and the 34th country where this unique work has been published. The contribution of Russian scholars to the study of The Secret History of the Mongols is well known, and now the interest of Belarusian researchers is also evident.
The Secret History of the Mongols is a primary source for the history of the Mongolian peoples, a kind of encyclopedia of the national language and writing system, folk wisdom, ancient literature, customs and traditions. It is a unique monument to the traditional spiritual culture. That is why, the 131st session of UNESCO Executive Board in 1989 noted that The Secret History of the Mongols, with its exceptional artistic, aesthetic, and poetic qualities, is an unparalleled work in the history of Mongolian literature and rightfully belongs to the richest treasury of world cultural heritage. In this connection, the initiative was put forward to celebrate the 750th anniversary of its creation, which was officially marked in 1990.
Research based on the original text of The Secret History of the Mongols is of particular importance for studying various aspects of the history of the Mongol Empire. Researchers from around the world continue to work together to uncover the mysteries of this source. An important result of this joint effort was the publication of The Secret History of the Mongols in Belarusian, prepared thanks to the many years of work of Belarusian scholar Vladimir Kulikovich and presented at the conference.
The Belarusian-language edition not only promotes and popularizes the Belarusian language in the global cultural space but also opens up a new chapter in the development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation between Mongolia and the Republic of Belarus in the Eurasian region.
We sincerely hope that readers, turning to this invaluable historical source in their native Belarusian language, will embark on a fascinating journey through the history of the 8th-14th centuries, gain a deeper understanding of the life and achievements of the Great Khan Genghis Khan and his successors who created the Mongol Empire. They will also immerse themselves in the richness of the culture, traditions, and customs of the Mongolian people. The Secret History of the Mongols will prove to be an invaluable guide on this journey.
Mr Ambassador, could you please share some plans for Belarusian-Mongolian interaction in 2026?
I would particularly like to emphasize the importance of coordinating the two countries’ development plans. In this context, we seek to align Mongolia’s main areas of development for 2026-2030 and Belarus’ social and economic development program for 2026-2030, which was adopted during the second session of the 7th Belarusian People’s Congress. It is important to mutually open up the two countries’ markets and to ensure bilateral participation in major construction projects.
I believe that the Interim Trade Agreement between Mongolia and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and its member states should serve to boost trade between our two countries and reduce the trade imbalance that has persisted for many years. The parties should focus on the practical application of the agreement and its promotion among entrepreneurs. The Embassy will work on this.
I would like to note that exports of processed cashmere in January-October 2025 reached $244.1 million (2,976 tonnes), which is $191 million (2,433.8 tonnes), or 4.6 times, more than in the same period in 2024. We explore opportunities for supplying Mongolian wool, cashmere, and processed leather to Belarus for manufacturing end products using Belarusian technologies and know-how, with the aim of entering the EAEU market of over 180 million people, leveraging Belarus’ free economic zones.
We will provide comprehensive support for the participation of joint projects by young scientists from both countries in the project selection process organized annually by the science and technology funds of both countries.
We are working to increase the quota for education under the Belarusian scholarship system to provide grants for Mongolian citizens and train personnel in professions important for us, such as veterinary science, crop production, agricultural machinery maintenance, mining machinery, forestry machinery and equipment, reforestation, and breeding.
Ahead of the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission, we will intensify the implementation of measures envisaged by the roadmaps for the development of Mongolia-Belarus cooperation in 2024-2026, including in the agricultural and industrial sectors, education, and scientific and technical cooperation.
I am confident that 2026 will be even more eventful with bilateral activities and advancing Belarusian-Mongolian trade and economic cooperation.
Alina GRISHKEVICH,
BelTA
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