Jaishankar starts East Asia tour in Mongolia, focusing on refinery project and digital cooperation
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has begun a two-day visit to Mongolia, where discussions are expected to focus on trade, energy security, digital cooperation, defence ties and the India-backed Mongol Refinery Project.
India’s External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, arrived in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar today for a vital two-day official visit. The tour is aimed at pumping in momentum into the bilateral relationship, with discussions heavily focused on enhancing trade, digital infrastructure, defense, and crucial energy connectivity.
This would be the first phase of Jaishankar’s four-day diplomatic tour across East Asia, which will also take him to the Republic of Korea.
A roadmap for the next decade
Upon arrival, Jaishankar is scheduled to hold extensive bilateral talks with his Mongolian counterpart, Foreign Minister B Battsetseg, followed by high-level meetings with the country's top political leadership.
The baseline for today’s discussions stems from a strategic roadmap established during Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa’s landmark state visit to New Delhi. During that summit, both nations laid out a comprehensive 10-year vision to significantly scale up economic engagement.
More from India"Pleased to arrive in Mongolia today. Thank State Secretary Munktushig Ilkhanajav for the warm welcome. Look forward to fruitful engagements to advance our special partnership," Jaishankar wrote on X.
Officials said the talks will focus on several key areas of cooperation, including energy security, digital infrastructure and defence.
Both sides are expected to review progress on the India-backed Mongol Refinery Project, a major oil refinery being built with an Indian Line of Credit that is central to Mongolia's efforts to reduce its dependence on energy imports from neighbouring countries.
Discussions are also likely to cover expanding India's support for Mongolia's digital and cyber-security infrastructure, while exploring ways to strengthen defence cooperation through the annual Nomadic Elephant military exercise and improve connectivity and supply-chain links between the two countries.
Following the conclusion of his engagements in Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday, Jaishankar will depart for Seoul, where he is scheduled to hold strategic talks with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and deliver a keynote address at the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity.
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