From the 2nd to the 6th of March the Presidium of the Danish Parliament paid an official visit to Mongolia and from the 6th to 7th of March the Presidium was in China.
The Speaker of the Presidium, Mr. Mogens Lykketoft as well as the deputy speakers, Mr. Bertel Haarder, Ms. Pia Kjaersgaard, Ms. Camilla Hersom and Ms. Anne Baastrup participated in the trip.
The Presidium was invited by the Speaker of the State Parliament of Mongolia, Mr. Zandaakhu Enkhbold. Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen accompanied the Presidium during their trip.
The Presidium stayed in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, where they had meetings with Mr. Enkhbold as well as the President of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, Luvsanvandan Bold; Mongolia’s Minister of mining, Davaajav Gankhuyag; and with the Vice-Speaker of the Mongolian Parliament, Miyeegombo Enkhbold.
Denmark and Mongolia established formal diplomatic ties in 1968.
Danish-Mongolian micro-loans
During their stay in Mongolia the Presidium of the Danish Parliament visited Danish-Mongolian micro projects that support underprivileged families and children, and the Presidium gained insight into the Mongolian civil society through talks with local partners.
One of the Danish-Mongolian micro projects is offering financing to Mongolian entrepreneurs, who wants to start their own business.
The Presidium also met with Sukhgerel Dugersuren from Oyu Tolgoi Watch, a NGO founded in 2010 with the purpose to monitor the environmental compliance as well as human rights standards of Mongolia's largest mine at Oyu Tolgoi.
The Oyu Tolgoi mine is operated by the mining companies Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto.
Oyu Tolgoi
The 5th of March the Presidium visited the Oyu Tolgoi Mining Area. Oyu Tolgoi is potentially the world's largest copper-gold project and is located in the South Gobi region of Mongolia, approximately 550 km south of the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and 80 km north of Mongolia's border with the Chinese border. The mined copper is expected to be shipped to primarily China.
The mine is the largest financial undertaking in Mongolia and is expected to account for more than 30 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product when completed. The mine is expected to start production this year and the production is expected to reach 450.000 tonnes of copper annually.
Visit to Beijing
After the visit to Mongolia, the Presidium stopped in Beijing on the 6th of March to have a meeting with the Vice-minister of International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, Mr. Liu Jieyi, as well as Mr. Song Tao, Vice-minister in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with responsibility for European affairs.
The Speaker of the Presidium, Mr. Lykketoft, held a press conference for Danish press in Beijing telling of the Presidium’s activities in Mongolia and China.
The Presidium also had consultations with Chinese scholars and civil society representatives on China’s civil society and human rights. |
