On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, we have interviewed D. Zolboo, Ph.D., Associate Professor, and Director of Institute of International Studies, Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
- Mongolia and the United Kingdom established diplomatic relations on January 23, 1963. This diplomatic relation was the first among Western developed nations, giving a significant impetus to enhancing Mongolia’s prestige in the global arena according to the researchers.
- The historians unanimously accept the establishment of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and the United Kingdom as an important milestone in the history of the Mongolian foreign relations sector. For Mongolian People’s Republic, which had gotten its independence recognized by its two immediate neighbors, socialist communes and some nations of the third world and become a fully-fledged member of the UN at that time, having established relations with Western nations, like the United Kingdom, was a huge advancement in the foreign relations history of the 20th century.
Taking the historical formation into account, researchers have concluded that the World War II conference of the three chief Allied leaders in Yalta became the stepping stone of Great Britain and the USA’s recognition of the de facto independence of the Mongolian People’s Republic.
A mission to establish balanced relations with and get recognized by foreign nations beyond our two neighbors started at the beginning of the 20th century, in particular, from the Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, established after the 1911 Revolution. In today’s terms, it means that our ancestors had already known the significance of “third neighbors.”
Our foreign relations history is not limited only to the Mongolian border, to that extent, the roles that the missionaries played in our relations can’t be underestimated. For example, London missionaries to Syberia and Christ-believing missionaries to Inner Mongolia.
- It seems that at the beginning the two countries’ relations were limited due to the cold war. Since when have our relations started intensifying?
- The most influential factor for our two countries’ relations was the cold war which was a tone setter of that time’s international relations. Despite the difficulties, the parties constantly made attempts to connect. For instance, between 1966-1990, the parties adopted the Cultural Exchange program every two years and organized not a few events and activities to promote each other in the scope of their cultural cooperation.
With the transition to a democratic and free market society, we are able to learn and get support from many foreign countries, especially, Great Britain is at top of this list.
- Since when the diplomatic relations specialists have been trained by policy, especially the specialists who engage with Britain? How many Mongolian researchers have been conducting research on our relations with Britain?
-During the times of the Mongolian People’s Republic, we used to train our international relations specialists and diplomats in the Soviet Union. With the introduction of English language education in our country, it became possible to communicate with not only Great Britain, but also other English-speaking countries and get to know their literary and cultural heritage. Since 1990, public and private universities have had their English language departments and started training specialists in foreign relations domestically. It has been a while since the National University of Mongolia (NUM) started training specialists in British Studies. In Mongolia, almost all training materials on international best practices and culture are somehow about Britain. For them, economic and financial growth of Great Britain after Brexit is always a main theme.
- Training professional personnel may become a basis to expand cooperation and increase mutual understanding. In 1968, five years after the establishment of diplomatic relations, NUM officially opened its English and French language programs.
- It is an example that refers to recent history. Back in Bogd Khanate of Mongolia, an English teacher was invited to a school affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Another example is that when Mongolians were drafting the Constitution, they studied and translated the constitutions of monarchies, like Great Britain. It shows that their English language knowledge was quite good. Moreover, we need to mention the University of Leeds, where we send our students every year. An example of the British pioneering in many events related to our relations is that in 1970, our country's public figure and famous scientist B. Shirendev was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Leeds, the first among the universities of developed western countries. In 1993, Princess Anne awarded Mongolian Pilot N. Jambaldorj who saved a British hiker injured in the Altai mountains by his courage and professional skills with “Courage in the Air” medal during her visit to Mongolia.
- Many Mongolians have been awarded the Chevening Scholarship, an international scholarship funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Since when Mongolians have started participating in this scholarship?
- The Chevening scholarship is one of a few scholarships that has been implemented in our higher education sector for the last 20 years. It allows graduate students to study in the UK with scholarships, funded by the British Government. The significance of the Chevening scholarship scheme rests on its large scope and precise requirements. It is nice to see that every year more than ten under graduates regularly get involved in this scholarship from our country. Investing in the education of our country's young people continues to create a great immunity that cannot be replaced by anything in the future.
- Britain has been supporting our pursuit of democracy, which we chose in 1991, from the beginning. According to the archival evidence, during the G7 summit, held in London in 1991, Britain called on other countries to cooperate with Mongolia.
-Yes, from the evidence, we can see that Britain called on other countries to initiate and organize Donor Meetings. Also, Britain was the first of the five UN Security Council countries to support Mongolia's initiative to be free of nuclear weapons. In the business sector, many investment proposals have been supported and discussed even at the government level, and there is a fact that a joint working group was once formed to build a world-class railway from Zamin-Uud to Ulaanbaatar under a concession contract.
In the business sector, many investment proposals have been supported and there is a fact that a joint working group was once formed to build a world-class railway from Zamin-Uud to Ulaanbaatar under a concession contract.
- In the past, the parties have exchanged all levels of visits, including state, business, and private. How many visits have been paid at which level?
- From our side, all presidents, prime ministers, and chairmans of the State Great Khural have paid high-level visits to the UK, while for Britain, it is a quite different scenario. Since Britain’s direct interest in Mongolia is limited, neither its Queen nor prime minister has paid any visit to Mongolia so far. However, plenty of visits by the minister of foreign affairs and the parliament members have been made. Princess Anne’s visit is considered the biggest visit ever made from their side. Every high-level visit resulted in agreements and contracts to advance our two countries's relations.
- Britain is not only our top 10 foreign trade partners but also one of our biggest foreign investors. How proactive have we been in attracting investments? How did the pandemic influence these matters for the last 2-3 years?
- Actually, the participation of our business sector was very active. Any business prefers profit. In his memoirs, former Prime Minister D. Sodnom mentioned the friendly advice given by the representatives of the “British Petroleum” company when they left our oil industry. It said, “We feel the sincere affection and devotion of Mongolians for their motherland. However, there are many companies even bigger than your country by their capital, although they are not considered conglomerates in the global arena. You should be alerted that they could use ways to improperly influence and fulfill their desires. They will always put their profit first.” These advices are still relevant today.
During the pandemic years, foreign relations and visits of almost all countries hardly continued. But we have survived to this day thanks to the economic turnover. The gold export plays the main role in trade from our side to Britain. To that extent, Rio Tinto’s, a multinational corporation, contribution to the Mongolian economy and development is incomparable to others. In addition to their economic contribution, their investment in the knowledge and work experiences of Mongolian youths cannot be forgotten as well.
- Considering our boundaries, our capacity to carry out balanced relations in all areas is limited. What is special about our relations with Great Britain?
- Even though we strive to maintain balanced relations with each country in pursuit of our foreign policy, our relations may vary by each country. Every country is trying to maintain mutually beneficial cooperation with Great Britain, one of the global political and economic policymakers. In our case, the education sector can be the priority area. Following educational cooperation, other opportunities to learn from science and technological advancement and share experiences are unfolded.
- Non-government organizations play important role in our two countries' relations. What NGOs and community organizations are working in Mongolia?
- We shouldn’t forget the helping hands extended by many international NGOs and humanitarian organizations, such as Save The Children of the UK, to our vulnerable groups during the difficult times. Another example is the Zoological Society of London, a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. They have done a lot of work to protect and breed a wild camel, a Khavtgai. Similarly, Britons have already known Mongolia through our “The Hu” band, opera singers, and martial art athletes.
- Mongolians have already known about Britain and Britons. But how much research has been done on relations issues?
- As a researcher, I think the research on this matter is being quite progressive. Ten years ago, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, our institutes of sciences and Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit of Cambridge University jointly published a two-volume “Trans-Continental neighbors” book comprised of our two countries’ half-a century-long history and historical evidence. For our institute, we are planning to organize this year’s “International Studies-2023” academic research conference under the theme of “Britain Studies in Mongolia” and preparatory works have already started. On the other side, Mongolian studies in Britain has a long history and there are many well-known Mongolists in Britain. Even today, centers for Mongolian studies in British universities are very active. Mongolians who live and study in Britain organize the “Our Contribution to the Prosperity of our Motherland” academic research conference every year.
- It is impossible to write all the history of 60 years of relations and cooperation between our two countries in one interview. Therefore, while summarizing the history of 60 years, let’s end the interview with the question of how you see the picture and vision of the coming years.
- I agree with you. Even the titles of research works are too much to name all of them in one hour.
You probably know the quote that our historians like to cite- Mongolian history is World history. Likewise, no one would argue that Britain’s history is world history. In particular, now that English has become the world language, it is necessary to admit that we need to further expand our friendly relations and cooperation with the UK.
The Mongol Messenger, January 27, 2023. No.04