During Federal President Steinmeier’s state visit marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, a strategic partnership with Mongolia was set up (available in German here). The joint declaration on comprehensive partnership of 5 September 2008 and the agreement on cooperation in the area of raw materials, industry and technology of 13 October 2011 in turn provide relations with a firm foundation.

The close ties between Germany and Mongolia stretch back to the 1920s and are rooted in part in the good relationship between the German Democratic Republic and the Mongolian People’s Republic.

Since its democratic rebirth in 1990, Mongolia has further developed this close partnership with the reunified Germany to embrace all areas of political and cultural life. Mongolia sees Germany as one of its “third neighbours” and an important partner within the European Union. Some 30,000 Mongolians (1% of the population) speak German.

The two countries promote democracy and human rights in the international arena, particularly within the United Nations. Although the countries’ long-standing joint security engagement in Afghanistan ended in mid-2021, military cooperation continues, priority recently being attached to mountain infantry training.

In terms of development cooperation, Germany is the third-largest donor after Japan and South Korea, with the focus on energy efficiency, biodiversity, sustainable economic development and on vocational training in the skilled crafts and in higher education. In addition to state actors GIZ and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), three German political foundations (see “Useful links” below) have been active in Mongolia for many years.

Bilateral academic collaboration focuses on the archaeological investigations carried out by the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), the University of Bonn and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences on the site of the ancient capital Karakorum.