India-Mongol Relations are in the news at the heels of the Indian Ministry of Culture’s project to reprint 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur.
Nurtured by three Ds – Democracy, Dharma, and Development Partnerships, the India-Mongolia relationship stands on these pillars. In 2020, the 65th year of diplomatic relations between the two nations was celebrated.
Keeping in mind India’s bilateral relations, it is indeed helpful to know the status of India-Mongolia relations given they have been in the news off late.
India – Mongolia Relations Latest News
Mongolia’s first oil refinery built with assistance from India will be completed by 2025. Know more about this development in the link here.
For India’s international relations with other nations, check the links below:
| India-China Relations | India-Nepal Relations |
| India-Switzerland Relations | India-UK Relations |
| India-Taiwan Relations | India-US Relations |
| India-Bhutan Relations | India-Pakistan Relations |
Overview of India-Mongolia Relations
A thread of Buddhism has tied both the countries over a period of 2600 years among other facets. The below mentioned information will be helpful for international relations preparation for the IAS Exam.
A few facts about Mongolia are:
- In November 1924, Mongolia became The Mongolian People’s Republic.
- The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar.
- It is believed that Huns may have been the ancestors of Mongolia.
The base of India-Mongolia relations is the shared historical and cultural legacy. As is mentioned by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India is considered as Mongolia’s ‘Spiritual Neighbour,’ ‘Third Neighbour’, ‘Strategic Partner’ and a ‘Centre of Pilgrimage.’
Let’s learn about political, economic, and cultural relations that are shared between India and Mongolia, below.
India-Mongolia Cultural Relations
The cultural cooperation agreement between both countries was signed in 1961.
In May 2021, during a virtual meeting between the Indian Minister of State of Tourism and Culture and his Mongolian counterpart, various issues including the Cultural Exchange Program were discussed. A few takeaway points from this meeting were:
- India and Mongolia Cultural Exchange Program has been renewed till 2023.
- 10 dedicated Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarships for studying ‘Tibetan Buddhism’ have been allocated for Mongolians to study in specialized institutes of CIBS, Leh, and CUTS, Varanasi, starting from 2020-2021.
- India reemphasized its commitment to digitize Buddhist Manuscripts of Gandan Monastery.
It is pertinent to mention that for the last 20 years, a pan-Mongolia Indian dance competition titled “Melody of Ganga” among school children is being organized by the mission with the help of the Indian Culture Centre at Children’s Palace.
India-Mongolia & Buddhism
Buddhism traversed Mongolia through the Himalayan region of India and Tibet. The exchange of travelers could be substantiated through the knowledge about Indian traders and Buddhist monks who visited Mongolia during the period of the Great Mongol Empire (post 3rd Century BC).
To many Mongols, India is considered as a land of Buddha, and revering the same, various students and Lamas used to visit Nalanda to study Buddhism.
There are accounts that confirm India’s relations with Mongolia during the 5th to 7th century AD:
- International Academy of Indian Culture founding member, Raghu Vira, discovered the ‘Golden Light Sutra’ in the rock of Vajrachedika.
- Raghu Vir and his son Lokesh Chandra d completed the “New TibetoMongol Pantheon” in 20 volumes and also edited 108 large volumes of the Mongolian Kanjur or Buddhist Canon.
It is believed that Mahayana Buddhism has led to the intellectual development of Mongolia. Mongolian Buddhism is predominantly the Yellow Hat sect of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and China but over the centuries, it has evolved into its own version, having incorporated the pre-Buddhist religion of ‘Tangarism’ as well as ‘Shamanistic’ influences.
There have been eminent personalities who have contributed immensely to consolidate the legacy of Mongolian Buddhist legacy with India. Late ambassador Bakula Rimpoche was one of them who between 1990-2000 revived hundreds of Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia and set up a Pethub Monastery in UB city.
Another name whose contribution in linking cultural connections between two nations are significant:
- Mongolian Professor Gandendarama has translated Indian epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Kalidasa, and about 30 more books into the Mongolian language.
Buddist International Conferences
Two such conferences took place at Gandan Monastery in 2019:
- Asian Buddhist Conference on Peace (ABCP) – May 2019
- Samvaad-III Buddhism-Hinduism Global Dialogue – September 2019
Understand India’s international relations with a few other nations:
India-Mongolia Political & Diplomatic Relations
The relationship between Indian and Mongolia was transformed into a strategic partnership during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mongolia in 2015 as a part of Act East Policy.
On 24th November 1955, India established its diplomatic relations with Mongolia which completed its 65th year in 2020. Check the following facts:
- The year of the first Mongolian Ambassador in New Delhi – 1956
- Establishment of Indian Resident Mission in Ulaanbaatar – 1971
- India extended its support to Mongolia’s membership in United Nations (UN) – 1961
- India supported Mongolia’s membership in Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) – 1991
- India along with Mongolia and Bhutan co-sponsored UN resolution to recognize Bangladesh as an independent country – 1972
India has initiated the process to set up Mongolia’s first oil refinery. The budget includes India’s assistance of one billion USD as a Line of Credit to develop Mongolia’s infrastructure.
Mongolia also has been a part of India’s Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi in 2019.
Institutions to Facilitate Bilateral Relations
- India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation (IMJCC) – It is chaired at a ministerial level. The latest meeting took place virtually in December 2020.
- India-Mongolia Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) – The most recent FOCs took place in 2016 in Ulaanbaatar. Next in line would take place in New Delhi.
India-Mongolia & International Cooperation
India has always found a supporter in Mongolia for its candidature in the UN and various other international forums.
- Mongolia supported India’s non-permanent seat at United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for 2011-12. (It also supports India’s membership to the UNSC permanent seat.)
- Both nations have agreed to support each other’s membership at UNSC as non-permanent members for the terms 2021-22 and 2023-24.
- Mongolia supported India’s proposal to include Yoga in the list of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritages, while India supported Mongolia’s “Mongolian Traditional Custom to Worship Mountain and Ovoo on the same list.
The list of international organizations for the candidature of which, Mongolia has given its support to India:
| Year/Term | International Organization |
| 2021-22 | Asia Pacific Group seat of the UN Security Council |
| – | International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) |
| 2017-2021 | Executive Board of UNESCO |
| – | World Custom Organization (WCO) |
| 2017, 2019 | Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in Category ‘B’ |
| 2017 | Advisory Committee membership election for Human Rights Council |
| – | International Court of Justice [On reciprocal basis] |
| 2017-2021 | Executive Board of the UNESCO |
| 2019 | 3rd group of International Civil Aviation Organization |
| 2020-2022 | World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) |
| – | World Custom Organisation |
India-Mongolia Defence Cooperation
There is an annual convention of the Joint Working Group for Defence Cooperation. One should know about the India-Mongolia bilateral military exercise named, ‘Nomadic Elephant.’ It is an annual exercise, details of which can be found in the linked article.
There is another known exercise ‘Khan Quest’. It is an annual multilateral peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia where Indian Armed forces Observers participate regularly.
Border Patrolling is another area where the two countries jointly cooperate. Border Security Force (BSF) of India and General Authority for Border Protection (GABF) cooperate based on MoU signed in 2015. BSF is to offer an integrated server to GABF in 2021.
India-Mongolia Economic Cooperation
There is a significant growth in bilateral trade between India and Mongolia between 2016 and 2020.
In 1994, two MoUs were established to expand bilateral economic cooperation. Later in 1996, an Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation for MFN status to each other in respect of customs, duties, and all other taxes on imports and exports came into force.
What India exports to Mongolia?
The main export items are:
- Medicines
- Mining
- Machinery
- Auto parts
What India imports from Mongolia?
The main imported item is raw cashmere wool.
Indian Community in Mongolia
The population of Indians in Mongolia is small. As per the immigration figures by Mongolia, around 200-250 Indians reside in Mongolia. These Indians find their employment in either organized sector or they are self-employed.
Source: MEA
Frequently Asked Questions about India-Mongolia Relations
When did India establish relations with Mongol?
What is the latest development in India-Mongolia relations?
Aspirants who aim for Indian Foreign Service (IFS) should be well-versed with the historical and current international relations of India.
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