50 years of diplomatic relations: Steinmeier in Mongolia

There has been a close bond between Germany and Mongolia since the 1920s, and both countries have maintained diplomatic relations for 50 years. In order to intensify this, Federal President Steinmeier is now on site.

Frosty temperatures greet the Federal President in Mongolia. In the capital Ulan Bator it is around minus 15 degrees during the day, and at night the temperatures even drop to minus 30 degrees. The fact that Frank-Walter Steinmeier is traveling to the coldest capital in the world in the middle of winter is officially linked to the anniversary of 50 years of diplomatic relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and Mongolia.

In addition, according to the Federal President’s Office, the trip is also about strengthening the political partnership and expanding cultural relationships. But there is another level, says Julian Dierkes. The sociologist has a chair at the University of British Columbia in Canada and has been working on Mongolia for years. “I would say this is part of a larger strategy from Europe, but also from North America and Australia, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, to maintain democracy again. And Mongolia comes in handy, a country that is huge in terms of area but small in terms of population , which is squeezed between Russia and China and is seen as the ‘Gallic village’ of democracy,” said Dierkes.

Mongolia is governed democratically

In terms of area, Mongolia is around four times the size of Germany, but is extremely sparsely populated with only around three million inhabitants. In contrast to the only two neighboring countries, China and Russia, Mongolia is governed democratically. For years, the country has been trying to reduce its dependence on its two powerful, autocratic neighbors and rely on more cooperation with democratic states. So far there has been moderate success, says Lakshmir Boojoo, who studied in Berlin and works at an economic policy think tank in Ulan Bator. The government often leaves it with vague declarations of intent: “That means we want to work together on rare earths and renewable energies, but this cooperation must be filled with concrete plans and strategies.”

Mongolia mainly imports food and energy from Russia. Almost all exports go to China: especially mineral resources, copper, iron ores and coal. In theory, this sounds like an ideal partner for the EU. The European Union also wants to become more independent of autocratic states, keyword de-risking. Certain raw materials could be sourced from Mongolia, for example copper. But it’s not that easy, says Mongolia expert Dierkes: “Copper doesn’t find its way from Mongolia to Europe that easily. Theoretically, it could be done by train, but it would then go through Russia, so you don’t have much independence there creates.”

Transport routes run via China and Russia

Large quantities of rare earths are also suspected in Mongolia. Europe and the USA currently import a large proportion of their rare earths from China. “The Chinese deposits are mainly in inner Mongolia, just below the border with Mongolia. So there are definitely geological similarities. It could be that there are rare earths there in quantities that could also be mined. They are transported differently than, for example, copper. But transport still remains an obstacle: no access to the sea and completely dependent on the route via China and Russia.”

The United States and Mongolia agreed last year to fly rare earths out of Mongolia by plane.

Federal President Steinmeier is meeting with the Mongolian President in Ulan Bator today. The two also sign agreements on, among other things, the environment, energy and economic development.