Remarks by Vice President Harris and Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai of Mongolia

Good afternoon, everyone.

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to the White House.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We have been looking forward to your visit. And we, of course, have a lot to discuss that is about continuing to strengthen the relationship between our nations.

Mongolia has been a reliable democracy and friend in the Indo-Pacific for more than three decades, and the partnership between our countries has helped to ensure stability and prosperity in the region. And the American people have a profound stake in the future of the Indo-Pacific.

As a proud Pacific power, it is in our vital interest to promote an Indo-Pacific region that is open, interconnected, prosperous, secure, and resilient, which is why President Biden and I have each been, since we have been in office, to the Indo-Pacific three times each. And as Vice President, I'm proud that I have met with nearly three dozen regional leaders, here in Washington and in the region, in bilateral meetings such as this one and at multilateral summits.

Since we have taken office, the President and I have made it our intention and focus to reinforce our defense and deterrence commitments and our security presence in the region. We have provided an ambitious and affirmative economic agenda for the region that will deliver growth for the American people and the people in that region. And together with our allies and partners, we have defended international rules and norms in the region and around the world which underpin our security and prosperity.

All of this work in the Indo-Pacific is guided by a key priority of the Biden-Harris administration, which is to strengthen our alliances and partnerships in the region.

Which brings me to the agenda for our meeting today: which will include, Mr. Prime Minister, the work that we will continue to do to strengthen the strategic partnership between the United States and Mongolia; the work that we will do and continue to do together to work on global challenges, which, of course, include the climate crisis but also the importance of upholding democracies and human rights; and, of course, addressing the threats to international rules-based order.

Today, I am pleased to announce that the next steps in our work together will be about further expanding our partnership. In particular, we will discuss the work that we will do together to strengthen our space cooperation. You and I spoke briefly about the beginning of the next era -- and, for you, what that means, in terms of your leadership and your vision for the future. And certainly, strengthening our space cooperation would be a part of that agenda -- including, of course, using our space cooperation to think about how we strengthen the economic prosperity and development of our nations.

We will also sign an Open Skies Agreement, which will open the door to direct flights between the United States and Mongolia.

And we will increase support for cultural exchanges, including the -- the work that you are doing in terms of English language education in Mongolia.

And together, we will also discuss the work we will do to support Mongolia's efforts to drive economic-sector and private-sector economic engagement and investment in your country.

All of this reflects the commitment that the United States has to our friends in Mongolia and in the region.

And again, I welcome you, Mr. Prime Minister. And I look forward to our conversation.

Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Of course.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Thank you. Thank you.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Thank you. Welcome. Thank you.

Source