Russian East: Expert on Oriental Studies: "Buryatia is already the gateway to Russia in Mongolia"

The relationship between Russia and Mongolia has always been an important issue, even during the Great Patriotic War, when help from Mongolia helped the Soviet Union withstand Hitler's Germany. Strengthening old friendships is important now, as Russia has entered into confrontation with the collective West.

But what is Russia doing to preserve and strengthen its good-neighborly relations with Mongolia? What measures are being taken to keep a long-standing ally in its orbit? And what role does Buryatia play in these schemes, as a region bordering Mongolia with a related culture?

We asked these questions to Vladimir Rodionov, Director of the Eastern Institute of Buryat State University named after Dorji Banzarov, a renowned specialist on relations with Mongolia.

- Recently, it's become fashionable to talk about so-called "soft power". Is it being applied in Mongolia, and in what forms?

All states with interests in Mongolia, one way or another, resort to what is often called "soft power" in political science. This includes such manifestations as education, language, high and mass culture, historical narratives, and more.

- To what extent is the potential of common glorious pages of history, such as the war on the Khalkhin-Gol and other episodes, being used in the relations between Russia and Mongolia?

In my opinion, the theme of the joint victory on the Khalkhin-Gol River and in the Great Patriotic War is one of the main positive historical narratives that modern Russia is using quite productively in its relations with Mongolia. Celebrations of jubilee dates, state visits, scientific and cultural events dedicated to these events, updating memorials, production of textual, photo, and film products - all these are forms and methods of reproducing positive attitudes towards this page of common history. It is precisely on the basis of joint positive achievements in the 20th century that a stable positive relationship is built.

- Can it be said that Mongolia is drawing closer to Western countries, considering the increased diplomatic contacts and the activation of Western structures in Mongolia? Is there a danger that Mongolia will take a pro-Western stance?

First of all, it can be said that there is a diplomatic, and not only, activation of the collective West towards Mongolia, which is determined by the escalation of its conflict with Russia and the growing contradictions with China. This may create the impression that Mongolia is indeed drifting towards a pro-Western position. Meanwhile, following its strategy of multi-vectorism or multi-support, Ulaanbaatar is trying to extract the maximum benefit from this situation for itself. The main risk for the Mongolian side is that the deepening conflict between the main international players at some point may make it impossible to implement a multi-vector strategy, and the country will have to make a complex geopolitical choice.

- What should Russia do to keep Mongolia in its orbit and strengthen ties with it?

It is necessary to comprehensively develop cooperation with Mongolia, i.e. to build relationships in all main areas of relations - diplomacy, economy, culture. It is especially worth emphasizing that humanitarian cooperation in its broad sense, including education, science, language, art, media, is no less significant in comparison with high-level diplomacy and economic ties. Moreover, large-scale economic projects that our country is implementing or plans to implement in Mongolia should have corresponding humanitarian support. The Mongolian public should correctly perceive the mutually beneficial nature of cooperation with Russia.

- What role does Buryatia play in Russian-Mongolian relations? Can it become the "gateway to Russia in Asia"?

Buryatia, due to a number of factors - historical, cultural, geographical, infrastructural-logistical - is already the "gateway to Russia in Mongolia". The lion's share of goods in bilateral trade goes through Buryatia. The region's cultural and linguistic affinity with Mongolia, as well as its favorable geographical location, makes it a key player in the development of Russian-Mongolian relations. Buryatia can and should play a significant role in promoting Russian interests in Mongolia, and in turn, become a hub for Mongolian business and cultural expansion into Russia. Groups of tourists from Mongolia have become a common occurrence in the cities and districts of our republic.

- What can Buryatia offer Mongolia economically, culturally or educationally? - Buryatia is an important transport hub of Russia to Mongolia. And this role of the republic can be expanded in the coming years through the implementation of major economic projects, for example, the Power of Siberia-2, economic corridors, and the modernization of railway infrastructure. In the last three years alone, several large-scale events have been held in Buryatia, such as international Buddhist forums, the forum of rectors of Russia and Mongolia, and others. This makes our republic an excellent negotiating platform, including in relations with the Mongolian side. The creation of a world-class interuniversity Baikal campus in the coming years will be a factor in attracting many foreign citizens, including residents of Mongolia, to the Russian educational field.

- Recently, the first forum of rectors of Russian and Mongolian universities was held in Buryatia. How important is this event for strengthening cooperation?

- Firstly, it is a platform for expanding the forms and ways of cooperation between universities of the two countries. More than 20 interuniversity agreements have been signed. Secondly, links have also been established between Russian universities for further cooperation. Thirdly, during the forum, current problems in the field of higher education in the two countries, the development of university science, the study of the Russian language in Mongolia and the Mongolian language in Russia were identified. Following the results of the forum, recommendations were developed to the governments of the two countries and major industrial partners in order to improve the conditions for bilateral cooperation in the field of higher education and science.

- Thank you!

P.S. In conclusion, it is worth noting that the international Russian-Mongolian military exercises Selenga-2025 have just started in Buryatia. For 12 days, the military personnel of both countries will practice conditional tasks to counter terrorists using armored vehicles, artillery, aircraft and UAVs. Such exercises have been held annually for many years, but this time the experience of modern military operations in the SVR zone will be taken into account. We also recall that military cooperation between Russia and Mongolia dates back to 1900, when the 2nd Verkhneudinsky Cossack Regiment was founded, which trained Mongolian Khoshun detachments and laid the foundations of the Mongolian army. And the fighting brotherhood of Russia and Mongolia was fully manifested in the era of World War II: joint military operations against Japan on Khalkhin Gol and material support during the Great Patriotic War. Now that Russia has declared a policy of "turning to the East," invoking the memory of long-standing cooperation is becoming even more relevant.

Source: https://russian-east.ru/article/ekspert-vostokoved-buryatiya-uzhe-yavlyaetsya-vorotami-rossii-v-mongoliyu/