Exhibition on Mongolian History to be Displayed at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich in 2025
Ulaanbaatar, August 2, 2024 /MONTSAME/. At the invitation of President of Mongolia H.E. Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, President of the Swiss Confederation H.E. Viola Amherd is paying a State Visit to Mongolia on August 2-4, 2024.
Following the Signing Ceremony of Cooperation Documents, the two Heads of State held a press briefing.
President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa: I am sincerely happy that President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd is paying a State Visit to Mongolia at the invitation of the President of Mongolia on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and the Swiss Confederation. The State Visit of President Viola Amherd marks the first historic Visit by the Swiss Head of State to Mongolia. Mongolia considers the Swiss Confederation its third neighbor and a trusted partner in Europe despite the geographical distance between the two countries.
During the State Visit, we exchanged views on consolidating the achievements of the past 60 years of cooperation between Mongolia and Switzerland, further expanding and developing bilateral cooperation, and implementing mutually beneficial projects.
We signed a Joint Declaration between Mongolia and the Swiss Confederation and a Memorandum of Understanding on Democracy between Mongolia and the Swiss Confederation. I am confident that these documents would determine the future direction of cooperation between our two countries and significantly contribute to strengthening democratic institutions and governance. We will implement a joint project to strengthen democracy, the rule of law, and good governance, foster cooperation between the legislative and civil society organizations, and accelerate judicial and legal reforms.
Switzerland is Mongolia's key foreign trade partner. We discussed exploring and implementing mutually beneficial joint projects and programs that would enrich bilateral relations with economic content and become a symbol of relations between the two countries. We also agreed to align our countries’ sustainable development policies, strengthen social and economic development, and develop effective and mutually beneficial cooperation in tourism, education, culture, agriculture, and health.
We exchanged views on implementing joint projects aimed at improving sustainable farm and livestock management, ensuring food security, increasing the production of bio-organic products, and exporting agricultural products within the framework of Mongolia's “Food Supply and Security” and “White Gold” National Campaigns. We discussed adopting Swiss standards and technology to Mongolia, expanding cooperation in education and science, and collaborating on training students and youth.
We emphasized our common primary goal of overcoming and resolving global challenges, such as climate change, desertification, soil degradation, and food security. We have agreed to collaborate on reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the “One Billion Trees” National Campaign of Mongolia and the "Paris Agreement."
Over the past 20 years, the Swiss Government has provided Mongolia with support amounting to over MNT 460 billion, successfully implementing numerous projects and programs for Mongolia's social and economic development.
Moreover, during times of crisis, such as pandemics, natural disasters, floods, and dzud, the Swiss Confederation has stood by the Mongolian people, making significant contributions to protecting human health. In particular, I would like to highlight the project "The Heart Will Not Forget". Furthermore, we agreed to display an exhibition on Mongolian history at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich in 2025, deepening bilateral cooperation in promoting national culture and supporting sports.