Bilateral Dialogue between:
Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi
Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS), Ulaanbaatar

Programme

0930-1000h: Registration & Tea

1000-1100h: Inaugural Session

Welcome Remarks by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director General, IDSA
Welcome Remarks by Dr. D Ganbat, Director, ISS
Special Address by Amb Sanjaasuren Bayaraa, Ambassador of Mongolia to India
Keynote Address by Mr. Sanjay Singh, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

1100-1115h: Tea

1115-1315h: Session I: Indian and Mongolian Foreign Policy Issues

Chair: Mr. Gautam Bambawale, Joint Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

• Dr. D Ganbat, Director, ISS
  India-Mongolia Relations
• Amb. Phunchok Stobdan, Senior Fellow, IDSA
  India-Mongolia Relations
• Mr. Adiyasuren, Researcher, ISS
  Mongolian New Government Policy and the Economic and Energy Policy of Mongolia
• Dr. S Kalyanaraman, Research Fellow, IDSA
  India’s Security in Asian Context
• Mr. Sanjeev K. Shrivastav, Researcher, IDSA
  US Rebalancing Policy towards Asia and India's Position

1315-1415h: Lunch

1415-1615h: Session II: Regional Security Issues

Chair: Amb. Rajiv Sikri

• Ms. Soyolgerel, ISS
  SCO from Mongolian perspective
• Col. Rajeev Agrawal, Research Fellow, IDSA
  India and SCO
• Mr. Dorjsuren, Chief of the Center for China and Northeast Asian Studies, ISS
  Foreign Policy of Mongolia with countries like China, Japan, USA, Korea and Central Asia
• Dr. Meena Singh Roy, Research Fellow, IDSA
  India’s Engagement with Central Asia
• Brig. Mandip Singh, Senior Fellow, IDSA
  India's Response to Rise of China

1615-1630h: Concluding Remarks by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director General, IDSA

1630h: Tea

Concept Note

India and Mongolia share deep civilizational ties. The two countries have interacted with each other through the medium of Buddhism for more than a millennia. Today, the importance of Mongolia for India is not merely cultural and historical; it goes much beyond this, especially when it is poised to play a crucial in determining the geo-political order in Asia. Mongolia’s geographical position, at the crossroads of Central and North-East Asia, Far East, China and Russia, makes it one of the most strategically significant countries in the continent.

At the geo-strategic level, Mongolia will continue to have a moderating political influence on the Sino-Russian relations especially when there exists inherent contradictions in the partnership. Moreover, its role in moderating conflicts between a rising China and the US will also become extremely important. The Buddhist cultural background of the country not only ensures durable peace, but also has a neutralising effect on the complex cultural and political contradictions across Asia. Mongolia’s location on the vicinity of resource-rich Siberia will enhance its strategic importance for the industrialised countries to have a benign political and economic presence.

The country is extremely rich in natural resources and thereby offers a whole range of economic opportunities. According to some analysts, Mongolia can become one of fastest-growing economies of the 2020s as well as a key investment target for global mining corporations.

Mongolia’s ‘third neighbour policy’, which seeks to minimize both Moscow's and Beijing's influence, by forging links with other world powers, holds significant relevance for India. Over the past few years, New Delhi has stepped up its engagement with the country with the aim of building a long-term mutually beneficial partnership. Mongolian President Mr. T Elbegdorg’s visit to New Delhi in 2009 and President Patil’s visit to Ulaanbaatar in July 2011 (the first such visit by a President of India in 23 years) have gone a long way in cementing bilateral ties. India was the first country outside the Soviet bloc to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia and they have celebrated 55 years of diplomatic relations in 2010. The bilateral trade during 2011-12 stood at US$ 57.16 million, an increase of 151 per cent over the previous year.

Like India, Mongolia enjoys an observer status at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It regards the SCO as an important link for multilateral interaction in the region, thereby facilitating its active participation in regional cooperation.

Moreover, Mongolia’s complex relations with China, strategic geographical position between Russia and China as well as its unique foreign policy leaves India and Mongolia in a situation where bilateral ties will be increasingly beneficial and politically appropriate.

There has been a regular exchange of experts between the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi and the Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS), Ulaanbaatar since 1992. Some of ISS Directors have also participated in the annual Asian Security Conference held at IDSA. However, it was only in May 2012 that the formal agreement between the two institutes was signed during the 1st IDSA-ISS Dialogue held at Ulaanbaatar.

This is the 2nd IDSA-ISS Dialogue which is being organized at IDSA. Regular interactions between the two institutes have been very fruitful in terms of strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

This Dialogue is an opportunity for Indian and Mongolian analysts, experts and officials to understand the current dynamics in the international and regional strategic environment and its implications for India-Mongolia relations. It will also focus on the prospects of mutually-beneficial future engagement between the two countries.

Some of the themes around which discussions will be focused:

• Indian and Mongolian foreign policy issues;
• Feasibility of joint policy initiatives;
• Role of Russia, US and China in the international arena and Indian and Mongolian response;
• Mongolian new government policy and the economic and energy policy of Mongolia;
• Regional security issues with a focus on regional organisations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.