Tuva establishes direct ties with Mongolia.

3/11 Tass 87

KYZYL, November 3 (Itar-Tass) -- Tuva has established direct ties with
Mongolia within the framework of the Russian-Mongolian Declaration on
Strategic Partnership signed in August. Head of the republic Sholban
Kara-ool, who returned from a trip to Ulan Bator made at the invitation of
President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorzh, said in Kyzyl on Tuesday.

According to Kara-ool, during meetings with the Mongolian president,
leaders of the state and local administrations, he sighed a number of
documents on trade and economic, scientific and technical, and cultural
cooperation, including an agreement on the opening of a mission of the
Tuva Republic in the capital of Mongolia - - Ulan-Bator and a protocol on
cooperation with the administration of the Zavkhan province. A protocol on
the results of the visit of the Tuva prime minister to Mongolia and a
draft agreement with the Mongolian Foreign Ministry are prepared for
signing.
As the Tuva prime minister said, the direct official contact of the
republic with the leadership of the neighboring state is not an ordinary
event, it is very important in its essence, especially for Tuva which hasn'
t signed any agreements with the neighbor since 1921. This is a token of
full openness of Russia for international cooperation, a testimony of
especially confidential and mutually advantageous relations of our country
with Mongolia.
Tuva, in particular, agreed with the Mongolian government to speed up
the adoption of a final decision on the transfer of the border passage
Borsho-Khandagaity to the international status. A new customs quality
removes numerous problems in the development of trade and economic
relations on the Tuva-Mongolian section of the border. It concerns the
Chinese business as well, which today has to deliver goods and equipment
to the republic by devious ways, through other contiguous countries, which
seriously restrains investment activities.
One of the topical issues of the talks with the Mongolian side was the
issue of exchanging pedigree cattle. Thus this year already Tuva hopes to
get from Mongolia 4,000 heads of pedigree cattle and 2,000 marketable
ones. Plans for 2010 are even greater - - the volume of import of live
cattle is to be increased up to 100,000 heads.
-0-ast