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President Tanaka (right) and Mr. Zandanshatar

On March 2, JICA President Tanaka Akihiko met with Chairman of the State Great Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia Gombojav Zandanshatar at JICA Headquarters.

At the opening of the meeting, Chairman Zandanshatar expressed his appreciation for JICA’s longstanding support for Mongolia's democratization and market economy reforms. The chairman explained that he, himself, has personally advocated in State Great Khural for the country to "develop like Japan," considering the latter's modernization as a model, and said that he will continue to maintain the values shared by both countries, namely democracy, freedom, and human rights.

In response, President Tanaka expressed the importance of deepening the friendly relations between Japan and Mongolia, and his expectation that Mongolia’s State Great Khural, which is at the core of Mongolian democracy, will play an extremely important role in future reforms in the country.

Furthermore, President Tanaka and Chairman Zandanshatar exchanged views on the macroeconomic outlook for Mongolia and the direction of future cooperation. Both sides then confirmed their commitment to the maintenance and development of good bilateral relations. Chairman Zandanshatar stressed the importance of industrial diversification for Mongolia's medium- and long-term growth, as well as his high appreciation for the Japanese ODA Loan "Two Step Loan Project for Small and Medium-Scaled Enterprises Development and Environmental Protection Phase I and II" (L/A signed in 2006 and 2010, respectively). Additionally, he expressed his expectation that the upcoming technical cooperation project—the “Project on Supporting Investment and Legal Framework Improvement of Free Economic Zone and New City in Khushig Valley of Tuv Aimag ”— will further boost Mongolia's economic development.