Speaker of Parliament M.Enkhbold paid an official visit to Turkey from March 6 to 9 at the invitation of Speaker of Turkey’s Grand National Assembly Ismail Kahraman to strengthen cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries. Speaker Kahraman held a meeting with Speaker M.Enkhbold, where Kahraman emphasized that the two nations are working to move forward with some delayed cooperation projects and agreements signed during this visit will help address these delayed issues and take bilateral ties to a new level. M.Enkhbold pointed out that Turkey and Mongolia started their parliamentary cooperation in 1994. He noted that this visit will have a significant impact on cooperation between the two countries’ legislatures, as well as cooperation between a wide range of sectors of Mongolia and Turkey, especially social and political sectors. He underlined that Mongolia wants to broaden its relations with Turkey to a strategic level. During the visit, the speakers signed the 2018-2020 action plan for the implementation of the protocol on inter-parliamentary cooperation signed between the two parliaments in 2014. Speaker M.Enkhbold stressed that the action plan will encourage cooperation between the inter-parliamentary groups and that it will make great contributions to the direct contact and relationship between members of the groups in the two parliaments. He added that the action plan will also support relationship between young legislatures of the two parliaments. The speaker stated that the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) carried out projects to upgrade a library and press factory at Parliament of Mongolia, and expressed his satisfaction with Mongolia’s successful cooperation with Turkey in defense and law enforcement sectors. He noted the importance of hosting regular business forums and dialogues between the two countries’ entrepreneurs, which will help support investment, trade and economic cooperation between the two nations. M.Enkhbold asked Kahraman to support the free trade zone in Tsagaannuur soum of Mongolia’s Bayan-Ulgii Province and implement a project to establish a tourism center in Mongolia’s Orkhon Valley through TIKA’s financial assistance. He noted that Turkey is making great achievements and contribution to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis, and added that Mongolia is looking forward to maintaining its cooperation with Turkey in the levels of the United Nations, the international community and international organizations. During their meeting, Mongolian Minister of Social Protection and Labor S.Chinzorig and Turkey’s Minister of Labor and Social Security Julide Sarieroglu signed a social security agreement between the governments of the two countries that will protect the social security rights of the two countries’ citizens. S.Chinzorig noted that the agreement will be of significant importance to protecting the rights of Mongolians residing in Turkey and Turkish people living in Mongolia as there are nearly 4,000 Mongolian citizens in Turkey and 214 Turkish people residing in Mongolia. Speaker M.Enkhbold presented Head of Turkish-Mongolian parliamentary friendship group in the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mehmet Erdogan with the Order of the Polar Star bestowed by President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga to honor Erdogan for his work to strengthen relations and cooperation between the two nations as well as two parliaments. During his visit, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Speaker M.Enkhbold on March 7, and the speaker noted that during his visit to Turkey in 2006 as the prime minister of Mongolia, he and then Prime Minister Erdogan signed agreements of cooperation between the two countries’ governments, and during Erdogan’s visit to Mongolia in 2013 as Turkish prime minister, the two nations reached an agreement to increase the volume of trade between Turkey and Mongolia. The speaker emphasized that Mongolia is supporting Turkish efforts for combat terrorism, and stated that Mongolia is looking forward to increasing mutual trade and economic cooperation, especially in the areas of agriculture, tourism, light industry, urban planning and construction, education, culture and arts, and health He added that the two nations need to focus on enriching economic cooperation by taking advantage of collaboration opportunities and underlined the importance of promoting relationship between entrepreneurs of the two countries to boost economic and investment cooperation. President Erdogan pointed out that the state of Turkey is ready to help increase Turkish investment in Mongolia and put forward some proposals to increase cooperation in education, air transport, urban planning and investment sectors of the two countries to the speaker. Erdogan stated that he supports M.Enkhbold’s proposal to establish a tourism center in Mongolia’s Orkhon Valley, and as he reformed Istanbul’s public transport sector when he served as mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998, there are collaboration opportunities in the public transport sector of the two countries by sharing his experience with Mongolia. The president stressed that he will learn more about collaboration opportunities between agricultural sectors of the two nations, especially carrying out imports of meat and meat products from Mongolia to Turkey. As part of his visit, Speaker M.Enkhbold met with Mayor of Ankara Mustafa Tuna to discuss collaboration possibilities between Ulaanbaatar and Ankara. During their meeting, the sides exchanged views on opportunities that will support mutually beneficial cooperation in reducing air and environmental pollution, addressing some challenges in Ulaanbaatar’s public transport, and taking Ulaanbaatar’s urban planning to a new level. Mayor Tuna said that Ankara is ready to collaborate with Ulaanbaatar to implement projects in urban planning and air pollution reduction. During his visit, Speaker M.Enkhbold and his accompanying delegation visited the monument in Ankara for friendship between Mongolia and Turkey, and laid wreaths at the statue of Chinggis Khaan at the monument. The speaker had an interview with Turkey’s Daily Sabah newspaper about his visit to Turkey and the relations and cooperation between the two countries.