On May 5, 2021, Mr. Kh.Gankhuyag, a member of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia and Head of the Mongolia-Estonia Parliamentary Group in the State Great Hural (Parliament), held an online meeting with Mr. Kaido Höövelson, a member of the 14th Riigikogu (Parliament) of the Republic of Estonia and Head of the Estonia-Mongolia Parliamentary Group in the Riigikogu (Parliament).
The online meeting was attended by Mrs. Kh.Bulgantuya, a member of the Mongolia-Estonia Parliamentary Group, Mr. T.Janabazar, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Republic of Estonia, Mrs. B.Bolormaa, Deputy Director of the European Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia.
From the Estonian side, Mr. Sven Sester, Deputy head of the Estonia-Mongolia Parliamentary Group, along with the group members Mr. Mati Raidma MP, Mr. Raivo Tamm MP, Mr. Tarmo Kruusimäe MP and other officials.
Diplomatic relations between Mongolia and Estonia were established on 20 November 1991, with this year marking the 30th anniversary.
Mr. Kh.Gankhuyag MP, Head of the Mongolia-Estonia Parliamentary Group, emphasized at the opening of the meeting that this year is historically significant for both countries. He noted that both countries need to intensify trade and cooperation in the areas of the economy and education sectors. He stressed, in particular, the importance of expanding business relations and increasing investments and he also invited the Riigikogu (Parliament) delegation led by Mr. Kaido Höövelson to visit Mongolia as circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and improves.
The two sides have exchanged views on measures and policies to combat the global pandemic. Although the pandemic has had a negative impact on countries worldwide, the parties agreed that it has had the advantage of giving the opportunity to further develop areas in e-governance. The Republic of Estonia is at the forefront of the development of e-governance and innovation, thus the meeting attendees shared Estonia's best practices during the meeting.
The State Great Hural of Mongolia has set the goal of digitizing parliament and has correspondingly introduced digital platforms for voting on drafts for the reason of increasing public participation in the legislative process. Mrs. Kh.Bulgantuya MP, has mentioned the establishment of the Standing Committee on Innovation and Digital Policy by the SGH and the successful implementation of e-Mongolia, the platform currently delivering more than 338 services to general public.
Members of the Riigikogu of Estonia, have exchanged experiences on the introduction and digitization of the health and education sectors through its e-Estonia systems, as well as the legal environment concerning e-Governance.
During the meeting, the delegations exchanged views on other current issues and expressed their willingness to work together to expand friendly relations between the two countries.