Mongolia, Russia begin joint peacekeeping exercise

ULAAN BAATAR, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) — Mongolia and Russia on Saturday held the opening ceremony of a joint peacekeeping exercise in the central Mongolian province of Tov.

The Mongolian armed forces will conduct maintenance of military equipment, including military vehicles and armored cars, and enhance their peacekeeping capabilities with Russia’s help, Mongolian Prime Minister Sanj Bayar said at the ceremony.

“The bilateral relationship of military cooperation has maintained good momentum, and I believe this exercise will bring the cooperation to a new stage,” he added.

This is the first joint military exercise between Mongolia and Russia since the disintegration of the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Some 250 Mongolian soldiers and 450 Russian troops will take part in the 30-day exercise. Russia has offered more than 2.6 million U.S. dollars to help maintain Mongolia’s military equipment.

Mongolia has been an active participant in international peacekeeping operations in recent years.

In 2003, Mongolia and the United States jointly held the “Khaan Quest” peacekeeping exercise in Mongolia, which became a multinational exercise in 2006. In September this year, some 360 soldiers from Mongolia, the United States, Thailand, India and Nepal took part in the joint exercise.

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