P.Tsagaan delivers remarks at 2014 MEF

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ A head of the Presidential Office P.Tsagaan made the opening remarks at the 2014 Mongolia Economic Forum which kicked off Monday in the State House. Mr Tsagaan said under the leadership of President Elbegdorj and thanks to fruitful efforts of many Mongolians and the World Economic Forum’s staff, Mongolia and the WEF have built an effective and meaningful cooperation in the past two years. “Our cooperation in water issues, in combating corruption and promoting transparency under PACI, and encouraging responsible mineral development have borne concrete results and outcomes,” he said. “WEF’s contributions and participation in elaborating the Mongolia Development Scenarios were truly instrumental. Discussions of these scenarios in Ulaanbaatar in September 2013 and in a private session in Davos at WEF past January have helped us narrow down our policy focus on many important developmental tasks,” Mr Tsagaan said. He emphasized Mongolia-WEF partnership has indeed been fruitful, and Mongolia does value this cooperation and friendship, adding that Mongolia has worked hard to improve business and investment environment, and our cooperation with the WEF has given a strong impetus to our efforts to promote foreign investment. “I am tempted to recall and share with you one story happened at the Mongolia Night Event in January in Davos during WEF. Well, please forgive me for leaking out this pleasant for Mongolia act of violation of protocol, Professor Schwab called the audience comprised of mostly investment community, for actively investing in Mongolia. He did admit that usually he abstains from making promotional speeches, yet, because Mongolia was an exception, because Mongolia is a country of great promise and potential, Professor Schwab urged the investors to come to Mongolia. I do reiterate this call and invitation,” he said. “On the other hand, we in Mongolia have a lot of work to do. We must continue firmly harnessing our investment environment and adopting business-friendly policies and practices. We must complete and accomplish the goals and tasks we aspire under the Smart government initiative. You are well aware, in the past 24 years, Mongolia conducted a double transition. Now, from today on, we must pursue and attain a double digit growth. We have the potential, and we have the will. When there is a will, there is a way,” he went on. “We have a dream, a big dream to leap into a higher level of social and economic development in years to come. It is not just a dream; it is an achievable aspiration provided we pursue a smart, sustainable, liberal, inclusive economic policy which would promote both domestic business and foreign direct Investment. With this, ladies and gentlemen, I cordially invite our colleague, our friend Kristel to moderate the session. Kristel and her colleagues at the Strategic Foresight Group have been our close partners in the past few years,” he said.