Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Sergey Anoprienko and Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Climate Change Ivan Kushch took part in the first meeting of the Commission on Cooperation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the State Hural of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar.

On the sidelines of the event, representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia met with Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia Myagmarzhar Ganbaatar and discussed cooperation between the countries in the environmental sphere.

Intergovernmental agreements are being implemented between Russia and Mongolia in the field of environmental protection, transboundary water bodies, protection of forests from fires, as well as on the conservation of ecosystems of the Ubsunur Basin transboundary biosphere Reserve.

In September last year, the Russian biosphere reserve "Ubsunurskaya Hollow" handed over 500 seedlings of Siberian larch to the Mongolian side.

"Russian experts provide assistance not only in transportation, but also in planting trees, and also share fertilizers. This year, within the framework of the same commission, the Ministry of Forestry and Nature Management of the Republic of Tyva handed over 230 thousand seeds of Siberian larch to the Mongolian side free of charge," said the Deputy head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia.

The parties also discussed issues of support for the Mongolian national program "Billion Trees". Sergey Anoprienko noted that Russia welcomes Mongolia's efforts to restore soil fertility and is ready to provide support in the further implementation of the program.

Following the meeting, an agreement was reached that Russia and Mongolia will take all possible measures to prevent a negative impact on Lake Baikal. It was noted that in order to assess the possible impact on the lake, it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive environmental, social and economic assessment of the implementation of planned hydropower and water management projects in Mongolia.

The parties also discussed their readiness to hold the third meeting of the Russian-Mongolian working group in October 2023 for a comprehensive consideration of issues related to the planned construction of hydraulic structures on the Selenga River in Mongolia. In addition, a meeting of the joint working group on forestry is planned before the end of the year.

Author: Press Service of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia

Опубликовано: 25 September 2023