US discusses ‘creative ways’ to help Mongolia export rare earths
- The landlocked nation is dependent on goodwill from neighbours China and Russia to get critical minerals to the world market
- Along with talks on rare earths cooperation, Mongolia and the US have also signed an ‘Open Skies’ civil aviation agreement
US and Mongolian officials this week discussed “creative ways” to ensure the landlocked country, dependent on goodwill from its neighbours China and Russia, could get critical minerals onto the world market, a US State Department official said on Friday.
Prime Minister L. Oyun-Erdene said on Wednesday after meeting US Vice-President Kamala Harris in Washington that Mongolia would deepen cooperation with the United States on mining rare earths and other minerals with hi-tech applications.
On Friday, he met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and signed an “Open Skies” civil aviation agreement, and both sides pledged further economic cooperation.
A US State Department official briefing reporters said the national carrier MIAT Mongolian Airlines would be able to fly direct to an as-yet-undecided US airport by next year.
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The two sides also discussed how to follow up on a memorandum of understanding signed in June by the State Department and Mongolia’s ministry of mining and heavy industry.