WORKING GROUP MEETINGS

Presentation of HE Mr. Erdenebaatar, Governor of Khentii province
29 Aug., 2001 Vladivostok
Ladies and Gentlemen.

First of all on behalf of all citizen of Khentii province and myself I would like to express great appreciation to Mr. Gunter Mau, organizer of the present meeting and Tumen River Strategic Action Program project coordinator and his colleagues.

Sustainable and relatively independent development of Eastern regions of Mongolia is one of the most priority parts of strategic development of our country.

From the deep of centuries Khentii, Dornod and Sukhbaatar provinces were considered as the left hand of Mongolia and later development of railway communication and geo-location enabled these territory to count as one of the important division of our economy as well complex zone for the further approach in economic development.

This approach as establishment of independent soci-economic complex of eastern region has been clearly determined in the "Concept for Regional Development of Mongolia" conducted to the Mongolian Parliament.

Participation of Eastern region of Mongolia to Tumen River Strategic Action Program project allows to activate co-operation, promote foreign investment North East Asia, set up a track to a sea and development of regional information, communication, railway, and air facilities would have a significant role for further bridge between Asia and Europe, South East Asia and Siberia.

Birth place of the Great Emperor of Mongolia Genggis Khan Khentii province with 83 thousand square km of territory, 70 thousand population, 1,5 million herd, 1483,9 thousand ha forest at its forest-steppe belongs to eastern zone of Mongolia and evaluates at 4th place by its forest reserve.

The capital city of Khentii province Undurkhaan is located in the heart of Eastern part of Mongolia in 330 km from Ulaanbaatar. Our province is supplied by central electricity network in 70%, renovated its communication equipment and technology within the frame of "Telekon-2.3" project thanks preferable loan issued by German government and Asian development bank and working hard to complete installation of EWSD, WISAT communication by October of this year.

Transport communication of "Millennium Road" approved by the Government of Mongolia goes trough our province territory and this project gets its power day by day.

In our province there were explored 3 coal mining with total reserve of 489,2 million coal, 21,3 million of fluorspar deposit, 7 mining for construction materials, 2 gold mining deposits, 17 mining of lead, tungsten, copper and zinc.

For the time being there are working Chandgan coal mining, Berkh, Bor-Undur fluorspar exploitation and processing mining, 2 gold mining which produce 6,1 thousand ton of fluorspar, 30,5 thousand of coal, 103,9 kg of gold.

Exploration and exploitation of rare and mixed element ores and further processing at the site in Undurtsagaan, Modot based on advanced technique and technology is the most priority direction of socio-economic development for wealthy not only for our province but for the whole Mongolia.

Structural policy for regional industry in eastern part of Mongolia are suitable utilization of natural resources, introduction of bio-technology to agriculture, food and light industry, supply population with ecologically pure products.

Besides of factors like virgin nature, widened steppe, biological resources, inherited historical and cultural gifts, agricultural and natural resources and good geo-location toward neighbourhood states based on favourable location towards South-Eastern Asia, relatively well developed infrastructure we have described further following directions of development of our province:

- Develop Eastern zone of Mongolia based on main and subsidiary road net settled between Choibalsan-Undurkhaan-Baruunurt;
- Creation of common network for electricity, communication and information;
Supply herdsmen settlement with solar and other natural resources of power and mobile communication;
Within the frame of the common infrastructure it is essential to establish higher education, modern health care and art centres, provide herdsmen and rural population with service which suits to their needs and demand;
- Activation and intensification of small and medium size enterprises for processing and production of final products of animal husbandry in industry and agriculture as well as development of processing of wood, fluorspar, gold and other minerals based on advanced technology and which less impact to natural environment;
- Processing of export oriented products like meat, wool, cashmere based on increased production of selected domestic breed and by selection of new gibbered animal and by increased income of herdsmen;
- Supply domestic customers with wheat, vegetables, animal nutrition;
- Development of utilisation of forest resource and pastureland by stopping desertification and protection of soil, water recourse and bio-diversity;
- Most priority shall be given to development of tourism based on protection of historical birth place of the Great Genggis Khan and National Parks surrounding our province;
- Creation of tourist camps in Batshireet, Tsenkhermandal, Umnudelger, Dadal sums which could be classified as the complex National parks and in Toson Khulstai and Khar Yamaat along the border river of Kherlen and Onon. We could establish natural resource zone for rare species like gazelles and birds with closest ties with Tumen River project in order to decrease impact to natural environment and against possible damage which may be caused by wrong activities of producers. Within the frame of the present project social issues could be resolved especially of those who need protection and living support from our activity.
- Renovation and restoration of traditional ties with neighbourhood countries in the sphere of border trade and economic vo-opeation and activation of co-opeation considering Eastern region as core point in order to develop on a province, and city level as the North-east region;

- The core place for further regional development could be Berkh-Undurkhaan-Borundur track where natural and economic capacity is high, and well developed infrastructure with concentrated population of the region.

Mongolian Government takes special attention to development of Eastern region as the basis for agriculture, trade, production and service to promote for further co-operation with international community. Development strategy of our Khentii province is in closest ties and in accordance with the police of development and further realization of Tumen River projects.

We would like to express our willingness to support and take actively part for development of the present project.

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your attention.