Putin calls Mongolia friendly country, Russia’s decades-old ally

ULAANBAATAR, September 3. /TASS/. Mongolia has been a friendly country and Russia's ally for decades, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Mongolian Parliament Speaker Dashzegviin Amarbayasgalan.

"I am very pleased to be in Mongolia, which is friendly to us, and together with the Mongolian people to celebrate a landmark event - our common victories on the Khalkhin-Gol River," Putin said.

The Russian president noted that Mongolia "turned out to be a very loyal, reliable ally of the Soviet Union and Russia" in the fight against Nazism and militarism.

"For decades, Russia and Mongolia have maintained very close, friendly relations," Putin stated. "Today these relations are developing successfully."

The Russian leader pointed out that Moscow attached great importance to interaction through parliaments.

"In today's world, this is a significant contribution to the development of contacts between the executive authorities," Putin concluded.

Mongolia is a parliamentary republic. The prime minister, who heads the government, holds the main power in the country. The cabinet is formed by the winner party - since 2016 the Mongolian People's Party (MPP). Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, who succeeded his fellow party member, presidential election winner Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, has been prime minister since 2021.

The MPP briefly lost power only a few times in recent history - in 1996, 2004 and 2012. It is the successor to the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), created by Sukhbaatar, the founder of modern Mongolian statehood. The MPRP was in power in the Mongolian People's Republic under a one-party system from 1921 and until the end of the MPR along with the world system of socialism in 1992.