Ulaanbaatar, June 23 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar along with Mongolian Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh and Industry and Mining Minister Gongor Damdinnyam visited the construction site of India-assisted Mongol Refinery Project on Tuesday and noted the steady progress being made in completing the landmark India-Mongolia friendship project.
EAM Jaishankar stated that he reviewed the status of works under implementation with the various teams involved and interacted with the workforce at the project site.
“Visited the construction site of the Mongol Refinery Project with Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh and Industry and Mining Minister Gongor Damdinnyam. This landmark India-Mongolia friendship project is making steady progress. Reviewed the status of works under implementation with the various teams involved,” EAM Jaishankar posted on X.
“Also interacted with Indian and Mongolian workforce at the project site. Thanked them for their dedication and commitment in realising such a major project under challenging conditions,” he added.
The Mongol Oil Refinery Project, being implemented with the support of a USD 1.7 billion Line of Credit (LoC) extended by the Government of India, stands as a flagship initiative and a vital component of Mongolia’s sustainable energy strategy.
The delegation was warmly welcomed by the leadership of Sainshand town, Executive Director D Altantsetseg of Mongol Oil Refinery LLC, the company’s engineering and technical staff, and the team, according to the statement released by Mongolia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Altantsetseg shared information on the project’s progress and the work plan for future implementation with EAM Jaishankar. She stated that the refinery equipment, parts, and steel structures have reached at the site and assembly work is being conducted. In addition, the components of the main facility, the distillation tower, reached at the site in May and assembly has started.
“For reference, the tower’s height is 58.4 meters, diameter is 3.2 m, and weight is 245 tonnes. Furthermore, the construction of the over 520 km long crude oil pipeline is progressing at nearly 90 per cent. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who was already informed about the project’s progress, expressed his satisfaction at coming to the site in person to familiarise himself with it, and stated that the Government of India will provide all-round support and cooperate to ensure the successful implementation of this project — which is a tangible manifestation of the Mongolia-India Strategic Partnership — within the planned timeframe,” Mongolia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X.
EAM Jaishankar is currently on a two-day official visit to Mongolia, where he held talks with his Mongolian counterpart Battsetseg Batmunkh and also called on President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.
In a press statement after his meeting with Batmukh on Monday, EAM Jaishankar said, “India and Mongolia, we are strategic partners, we are also spiritual siblings. Our relationship is rooted in deep civilisational and spiritual linkages, shared democratic values, strong development aspirations and strong people-to-people ties.”
He noted that one of the purpose of his visit was to review progress on the outcomes of discussions held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh during the latter’s visit to India last year.
“We reviewed the entire gamut of our bilateral cooperation, including the development partnership, for which the oil refinery is the most important project,” EAM Jaishankar said.
EAM Jaishankar also met the Speaker of the State Great Khural, Dashzegve Amarbayasgalan and welcomed his support for India-Mongolia parliamentary exchanges and friendship. During the meeting, EAM Jaishankar reiterated support to deepening our people-centric development partnership between two nations.
He also met Mongolia’s Minister of Education L Enkh-Amgalan and former President Nambaryn Enkhbayar.
–IANS
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