Russia, Mongolia sign cooperation pact to build nuclear plant

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Russia, Mongolia sign cooperation pact to build nuclear plant

ULAN BATOR, Nov. 14 (Kyodo) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and 
Mongolian President Natsagiin Bagabandi on Tuesday signed bilateral 
agreements on atomic energy that Mongolian officials said will pave 
the way for construction of the first nuclear power plant in 
Mongolia. 

The two leaders also signed a joint declaration confirming their 
countries' adherence to a 1993 bilateral treaty on friendly relations 
and cooperation. 

By signing the documents, Putin, the first Russian president to visit 
Mongolia, and Bagabandi resurrected bilateral relations. Ties have 
been subdued since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the political 
and economic chaos both countries have since suffered. 

Details of the atomic energy agreements were not immediately 
available. Mongolian officials only said that construction of the 
plant with Russian cooperation is ''in the future'' without revealing 
any specific date. The plant is expected to resolve Mongolia's 
electricity shortages. 

The agreements, however, are said to include teamwork in such areas 
as processing uranium into nuclear fuel and the detoxification of 
nuclear waste. 

In the joint declaration, Mongolia backed Russia in its opposition to 
the United States' plan to develop an antimissile defense system and 
to the planned U.S.-Japan theater missile defense system. 

The declaration also states the necessity of strengthening bilateral 
military cooperation, such as the training of Mongolian military 
experts. 

It says the countries will pursue a broad cooperation in economic and 
trade fields, such as mutual efforts to hammer out a deal to reduce 
tariffs. Russia's support for Mongolia's participation in the Asia-
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum was also alluded to in the 
declaration. 

Putin, who visited North Korea and China in July and Japan in 
September, has been vigorously pursuing diplomatic relations since he 
was elected president in March. 

His trip is seen as a sign of his desire to expand Russian influence 
in Northeast Asia.

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Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net
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