On August 19, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Damdin Tsogtbaatar met with BFA Chairman Ban Ki-moon and Secretary-General Li Baodong.
Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar said that Boao Forum for Asia is committed to promoting and deepening economic exchanges, coordination and cooperation within the region and between the region and other parts of the world. It was the first time that Boao Forum for Asia had held a meeting in Mongolia. The theme of the meeting, "Join Hands to Address Global Challenges and Promote Common Development", keeps in pace with the times and calls on all parties to take a long-term view and strengthen cooperation based on the principle of mutual benefits. The Mongolian side welcomes the Boao Forum for Asia to share regional development opportunities and promote common development through the conference. Education is one of the five key areas of the Boao Forum for Asia. The Mongolian side suggested to make education another focus of cooperation between the two sides and co-organize a themed meeting on education.
Chairman Ban Ki-moon expressed his gratitude to the Mongolian side for co-hosting the BFA Ulaanbaatar Conference, and visited Mongolia for the first time as BFA Chairman. With the current rise of populism and protectionism, the Boao Forum for Asia hopes to call on the international community to focus on a common future through this conference and send a strong message to the region and the world that Boao Forum for Asia supports multilateralism, shows solidarity and strengthens ties between each other. It is hoped that Mongolia, as one of the initiating countries, will send a delegation to attend next year's annual conference for a greater cooperation.