PRESIDENT MEETS NORWEGIAN DELEGATION

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The President Ts.Elbegdorj received Wednesday Mr Kjell Magne Bondevik, a former Prime Minister of Norway; and Einar Steensnas, a former Minister of Petroleum and Energy. The State Head highlighted that Mongolia has been developing in a democratic way, and intensively running activities for ensuring human rights, reforming the judicial authority and combating against corruptions. Thanks to intensifying the measures of combating corruptions, the corruption index of Mongolia has reduced to 94th place from 120th, the President underlined, adding that Mongolia has worked out a package law on mineral resources that are being discussed by people. "Mongolia and Norway have the similarity in wealthy mineral resources, but the most important thing for Mongolia is to find out right ways of exploiting money and investments from the natural resources. Mongolia is able to exploit them properly by creating the good governance and reforming the judiciary authority together," Mr Kjell Magne Bondevik and Einar Steensnas underlined. They emphasized that Mongolia is a bridge between Asia and Europe and a door of cooperating with the North Korea, Japan and other Asian countries, adding that Mongolia has become an example of democracy in its region. The former Ministers of Norway Mr Kjell Magne Bondevik and Einar Steensnas jointly established the Oslo Centre for Peace and Human Rights in 2005. B.Khuder