[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 135 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4637-S4638]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 665--REAFFIRMING THE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN 
THE UNITED STATES AND MONGOLIA AND RECOGNIZING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
                         DEMOCRACY IN MONGOLIA

  Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 665

       Whereas the United States and Mongolia established 
     diplomatic relations in January 1987, and since that time the 
     relationship has grown stronger based on shared strategic 
     interests, security cooperation, democratic values, good 
     governance, and respect for human rights;
       Whereas, since its peaceful democratic revolution in 1989, 
     through a series of initiatives, Mongolia has charted a 
     successful path to multiparty democracy and a free market 
     economy;
       Whereas, in 1990, the Government of Mongolia declared an 
     end to a one-party, authoritarian, political system and 
     adopted democratic and free market reforms;
       Whereas, in 1992, Mongolia adopted a constitution 
     establishing a parliamentary democracy, becoming the first 
     country in Asia to transition from communism to democracy;
       Whereas Mongolia has shown its commitment to a ``third 
     neighbor'' relationship with the United States by sending 
     troops to support United States operations in Iraq from 2003 
     through 2008 and Afghanistan since 2009, and Mongolia has a 
     strong record of troop contributions to international 
     peacekeeping missions;
       Whereas successive Mongolian governments have taken notable 
     steps to strengthen civil society, battle corruption, and 
     spur economic development;
       Whereas the Parliament of Mongolia, the State Great Khural, 
     has engaged with Congress, including through the House 
     Democracy Partnership, thereby promoting responsive and 
     effective governance through peer-to-peer cooperation;
       Whereas Mongolia began as a partner to the Organization for 
     Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2004, graduated 
     to become a participating state in 2012, and participates 
     actively in the work of the OSCE for stability, peace, and 
     democracy;
       Whereas Mongolia has regularly invited the OSCE and other 
     organizations to send monitoring teams for its presidential 
     and parliamentary elections;
       Whereas Mongolia has also been an active member of the 
     Community of Democracies (CoD), a global coalition of states 
     that support adherence to common democratic values and 
     standards, and Mongolia has not only remained active since 
     the founding of the CoD in 2000, but successfully chaired the 
     CoD from 2011 through 2013; 
       Whereas, in addition to supporting the OSCE and CoD, 
     Mongolia supports democratic initiatives while participating 
     in a wide range of other global institutions;
       Whereas, most recently, on June 24, 2020, Mongolia 
     successfully organized parliamentary elections, strengthening 
     its commitment to democracy and the rule of law;
       Whereas the success of Mongolia as a democracy and its 
     strategic location, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and 
     ability to pursue an independent foreign policy are highly 
     relevant to the national security of the United States; 
       Whereas the United States has provided support to Mongolia 
     through the Millennium Challenge Corporation through an 
     initial compact signed in 2007 designed to increase economic 
     growth and reduce poverty and a second compact signed in 2018 
     involving investments in water infrastructure, including 
     supply and wastewater recycling, as well as water sector 
     sustainability; 
       Whereas, on September 20, 2018, the United States and 
     Mongolia signed a joint statement and the Roadmap for 
     Expanded Economic Partnership, outlining the intent to deepen 
     the bilateral commercial relationship through full 
     implementation of the obligations under the Agreement on 
     Transparency in Matters Related to International Trade and 
     Investment between the United States of America and Mongolia, 
     signed at New York September 24, 2013 (in this preamble 
     referred to as the ``United States-Mongolia Transparency 
     Agreement''), and to collaborate in supporting Mongolian 
     small- and medium-sized enterprises through various programs 
     and projects;
       Whereas, according to the Bureau of the Census, trade 
     between the United States and Mongolia is modest but growing, 
     with total trade in 2019 between the two countries of 
     approximately $217,500,000, including $192,700,000 in United 
     States exports to Mongolia and $24,800,000 in United States 
     imports from Mongolia;
       Whereas Mongolia is a beneficiary country under the 
     Generalized System of Preferences program, but its use of the 
     program remains low, as, in 2018, only $3,300,000 of exports 
     from Mongolia to the United States were under the program; 
     and

[[Page S4638]]

       Whereas, on July 31, 2019, the United States and Mongolia 
     declared the bilateral relationship a Strategic Partnership 
     and noted the shared desire--
       (1) to intensify cooperation as strong democracies based on 
     the rule of law through safeguarding and promoting democratic 
     values and human rights, including the freedoms of religion 
     or belief, expression, including internet and media freedom, 
     assembly, and association, anticorruption and fiscal 
     transparency, and youth and emerging leader development;
       (2) to cooperate in promoting national security and 
     stability across the Indo-Pacific region so that all 
     countries, secure in their sovereignty, are able to pursue 
     economic growth consistent with international law and 
     principles of fair competition;
       (3) to deepen national security and law-enforcement ties 
     through collaboration on bilateral and multilateral security, 
     judicial, and law-enforcement efforts in the region;
       (4) to strengthen cooperation in multilateral engagements 
     such as peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and disaster 
     preparedness and relief operations;
       (5) to expand trade and investment relations on a fair and 
     reciprocal basis, support private sector-led growth, fully 
     implement the United States-Mongolia Transparency Agreement, 
     promote women's entrepreneurship, and continue to explore 
     support for infrastructure under the new United States 
     International Development Finance Corporation with the new 
     tools provided under the BUILD Act of 2018 (22 U.S.C. 9601 et 
     seq.);
       (6) to strengthen border security, prevent illegal 
     transshipment and trafficking, expand cooperation on civil 
     aviation safety and oversight, and efficiently facilitate 
     legitimate travel between Mongolia and the United States;
       (7) to increase cooperation in addressing transnational 
     threats such as terrorism, human trafficking, drug 
     trafficking, the proliferation of weapons of mass 
     destruction, cyberattacks, transnational organized crime, 
     pandemics, and other emerging nontraditional security 
     threats;
       (8) to continue to develop an environment in which civil 
     society, social media, and a free and independent media can 
     flourish; and
       (9) to maintain high-level official dialogues, encourage 
     bilateral exchanges at all levels of government, and further 
     develop people-to-people exchanges to deepen engagement on 
     issues of mutual interest and concern: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the importance of the relationship between 
     the United States and Mongolia and remains committed to 
     advancing this Strategic Partnership in the future;
       (2) emphasizes the importance of free and fair elections in 
     Mongolia;
       (3) applauds the continued engagement of Mongolia in the 
     Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the 
     Community of Democracies, congressional-parliamentary 
     partnerships, including continued high-level parliamentary 
     exchange, and other institutions that promote democratic 
     values, which reinforces the commitment of the people and the 
     Government of Mongolia to those values and standards;
       (4) encourages the United States Government to help 
     Mongolia use its benefits under the Generalized System of 
     Preferences program and other relevant programs to increase 
     trade between the United States and Mongolia;
       (5) urges the United States International Development 
     Finance Corporation to expand activities in Mongolia to 
     support economic development, diversification of the economy 
     of Mongolia, and women-owned small- and medium-sized 
     enterprises;
       (6) urges private and public support to help diversify the 
     economy of Mongolia through increased cooperation and 
     investments, as well as infrastructure and other vital 
     projects;
       (7) urges the Department of State, the United States Agency 
     for International Development, and other relevant agencies to 
     continue to support Mongolia's democratic and economic 
     development and efforts on anticorruption;
       (8) reaffirms the importance of civil society to the 
     continued democratic development of Mongolia;
       (9) encourages the Government of Mongolia to build a 
     regulatory system that supports and encourages the growth and 
     operation of independent nongovernmental organizations and 
     continues to pursue policies of transparency that uphold 
     democratic values; and
       (10) encourages the Government of Mongolia to continue 
     legal reform, institutional capacity building, and to improve 
     the independence of other democratic institutions.

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