Mongolia gets $1-bn credit gift

India recently announced a $1-billion credit line to Mongolia for infrastructure development as they upgraded their ties to strategic partnership and agreed to deepen defence cooperation besides exploring potential for tie-ups in areas such as the civil nuclear sector.

• The two countries have inked 13 other pacts that include one on enhancing cooperation in border guarding, policing and surveillance, air services, cyber security and new and renewable energy.

Important agreements:

• A treaty was inked by the two sides on the transfer of sentenced persons.
• On economic cooperation, the countries have agreed to encourage development of equal and mutually beneficial trade, investment and economic cooperation, which is balanced, sustainable and leads to prosperity in both countries.
• It was also agreed to encourage Indian companies to further explore cooperation opportunities in Mongolia’s mining sector through joint ventures and investment.

Sources: The Hindu, TOI.

A special gift from Indian PM

Prime Minister of India recently presented Mongolian President, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, a specially commissioned reproduction of a rare 13th century manuscript on the history of Mongols, considered by many as the first world history.

Details:

• The manuscript is Called Jamiut Tawarikh. This work was one of the grandest projects undertaken by the Ilkhanate king Ghazan Khan. The king’s wazir Rasheeduddin Fazlullah Hamedani wrote it in Persian and chronicled the history up to the reign of Oljeitju (1304-1316).
• The manuscript from the Rampur Raza Library, Rampur (Uttar Pradesh), has over 80 fine miniature illustrations. It is a part of Volume 1 of the work and no other copy of it is known to exist.
• The breadth of coverage of the work often caused it to be dubbed as the first world history.

The Prime Minister of India also received traditional fiddle- morin khuur- as a gift from Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. The ‘morin khuur’, also known as horse-head fiddle, is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongol people, and is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation.

India and Mongolia:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Mongolia. He is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Mongolia.

• India established diplomatic relations in December 1955. India was the first country outside the Soviet bloc to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia. Since then, there have been treaties of mutual friendship and cooperation between the two countries in 1973, 1994, 2001 and 2004.
• Mongolia is a landlocked country. Mongolia lies in central Asia between Siberia on the north and China on the south. It is slightly larger than Alaska.
• The name Mongol comes from a small tribe whose leader, Ghengis Khan, began a conquest in the 13th century that would eventually encompass an enormous empire stretching from Asia to Europe, as far west as the Black Sea and as far south as India and the Himalayas. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century.

Sources: The Hindu, PIB, Wiki.