“Mongolians appreciate opportunity to train with us”: MEA Secy (East) on defence cooperation
MEA Secretary (East) P Kumaran discussed defence cooperation with Mongolia on October 14, stating that various initiatives are underway to bolster ties in this sector, reports 24brussels.
Kumaran noted during a weekly press briefing that Mongolia values joint military exercises with India. He stated, “Defence cooperation with Mongolia is composed of two or three initiatives. One is joint exercises. We do a joint exercise called Nomadic Elephant and another one called Khaan Quest with Mongolia. The Mongolians appreciate the opportunity to train with us.”
According to Kumaran, India also deploys trainers to Mongolia, and there is a desire for more collaborative exercises. “They are interested and they see a lot of benefits in training with us. They would like us to continue with existing programs and also offer more support in terms of training. We do send our trainers there as part of our joint exercise initiatives who stay with them and train their officers for some time…We will be doing more of that,” he elaborated.
The Secretary also highlighted India’s provision of equipment as part of its grant assistance to Mongolia, with plans to sustain this approach in the coming years. He referenced a significant past initiative involving cybersecurity training, mentioning the establishment of a cybersecurity training centre for Mongolian armed forces.
Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa expressed appreciation for India’s support. “The President thanked the Prime Minister and the Raksha Mantri for the benefits that flow from that centre, and they wish to upgrade and continue that kind of support. The Raksha Mantri assured them that we would be happy to continue existing programs and also look at new proposals from the Mongolian side,” Kumaran said.
Moreover, he announced the appointment of a resident defence attaché in Ulaanbaatar, addressing a long-standing request from Mongolia and highlighting the evolving defence partnership. He also revealed that all e-visas for Mongolian nationals would now be issued for free, enhancing the already established gratis paper visa regime and fostering stronger people-to-people connections.
