VECTORS OF RUSSIAN-MONGOLIAN COOPERATION

Abstract

The article notes the dominance of multi-vectorism in Mongolia’s foreign policy at the present stage, which is due to the complexity and contradictory nature of the geopolitical situation, as well as the expectation of increased risks of ensuring the national security of the Mongolian People’s Republic. In this regard, the authorities of the republic are strengthening cooperation with the so-called «third neighbor» (USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia, EU countries, etc.) in the hope of balancing the influence of the two main neighbors: Russia and China.

In relations with China, Mongolia’s growing dependence on China in the economic sphere (China steadily retains the first place in the MNR’s foreign trade turnover) raises concerns. Until a certain point, such a role was played by Mongolia’s second neighbor - Russia (more precisely, the Soviet Union, where the republic was integrated practically at the level of union republics), which fully ensured the republic’s economic and political security. When forming the strategy of cooperation between Russia and Mongolia, the Russian side has to take into account the concerns of the Mongolian side: the growing volume of economic cooperation between Russia and China significantly increases Mongolia’s fears about Russia’s inability to resist Chinese influence. In this regard, Mongolia positions the expansion of cooperation with «third neighbors» as an integral part of ensuring its national interests.