Mongolia invites Turks to visit their ancestral homeland

By Mehmet Sah Yilmaz

ANKARA (AA) – Mongolia’s environment and tourism minister said his country shares a common historical background with Türkiye, adding: "We invite the Turks to their ancestral lands."

Bat-Erdene Bat-Ulzii spoke to Anadolu Agency about relations between the two countries in the Turkish capital Ankara, where he came for the Türkiye-Mongolia Business Forum.

Saying that his visit is important for strengthening bilateral ties, Bat-Ulzii underlined that they want to increase the number of flights between the two countries.

He added that his country will work to start direct flights from Türkiye to the region where the monumental Orkhon inscriptions – the oldest-known Turkic writings, dating back to the eighth century – are located.

Some 2,600 people from Türkiye visited to Mongolia in 2021, the minister noted, pointing to how the two countries share a common historical past, as revealed through archaeological excavations.

"Almost everyone in Türkiye wants to visit Mongolia,” Bat-Ulzii said, adding that authorities frequently hold meetings to boost touristic trips between the two countries.

Munkhbat Jamiyan, deputy chairman of the Mongolia-Türkiye Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, also said: "Historically, our relations are thousands of years old, not just a few years. We’re friends, our history is common, and there’s a 30-year inter-parliamentary relationship."

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1969, and gained new momentum with the opening of reciprocal embassies in Ankara, Türkiye and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in 1996-1997. Over 100 bilateral agreements have been signed so far to strengthen the legal basis of bilateral cooperation.

In 2011, Mongolia honored Türkiye with “third neighbor” status, along with the US, EU, Japan, South Korea, and India.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul