AKIPRESS.COM - Ambassador of the European Union to Mongolia Axelle Nicaise handed over the agreement to provide humanitarian assistance to Prime Minister of Mongolia Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai. Prime Minister expressed his gratitude on behalf of the government and people of Mongolia for the EU support to Mongolia in times of challenge, the EU delegation to Mongolia reports.

During the meeting, Axelle Nicaise presented a certificate confirming the European Union's 500,000 euros humanitarian assistance in response to Mongolia's current severe winter conditions to the Prime Minister of Mongolia.

EU Ambassador Axelle Nicaise expressed belief that the EU's contribution will help the herders recover and build further resilience and a more sustainable model of herding.

"The dzud in Mongolia this year also confirms the urgency to put in place long term decisive actions to fight the effects of climate change and decrease the frequency of natural disasters. In this year where the EU and Mongolia celebrate 35 years of diplomatic relations, we will pursue our strong partnership and dialogue with the government of Mongolia on all these crucial issues," the Ambassador noted.

During the meeting, two sides discussed the possibility of expanding trade and economic cooperation and emphasized the importance of effectively celebrating the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and the European Union.

Recent development includes the signing of first tranche of concessional loan of 45 million euros from the European Investment Bank (EIB), and grant of 9.4 million euros from the European Union for the "Aimags and Soums Green Regional Development Investment Program" (ASDIP) and MoU on Forestry between EIB and Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Mongolia.

Discussion continued around the ongoing and future projects and programs as part of Mongolia's long-term development policy "Vision 2050", "New Revival Policy", the EU's "Global Gateway"
and "Green Deal".

The European Union will provide humanitarian assistance through the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) to 1,850 herder families in dire need by supply of cash, hay and fodder packages.