India–Mongolia relations

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Indo-Mongolian relations

India
Mongolia
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of India, UlaanbaatarEmbassy of Mongolia, New Delhi
Envoy
Indian Ambassador to Mongolia Dr. T. Suresh BabuMongolian Ambassador to India Ganbold Dambajav

India–Mongolia relations (

India and Mongolia. These relations are rapidly developing, with Indo-Mongolian cooperation formerly limited to diplomatic visits, provision of soft loans and financial aid and the collaborations in the IT sector; but were enhanced in 2015 by Narendra Modi's visit to Ulaanbaatar, where the two Prime Ministers declared a "strategic partnership" between the two Asian democracies.[1]

India established diplomatic relations in December 1955. India was the first country outside the Eastern Bloc to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia. Since then, there have been treaties of mutual friendship and cooperation between the two countries in 1973, 1994, 2001 and 2004.

Mongolia supports India's candidature as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, while India supported the inclusion of Mongolia as a full member of the Non-Aligned Movement.

According to a 2010

Gallup poll, 26% of Mongolians approve of Indian leadership, with 9% disapproving and 66% uncertain.[2]

In December 2016, Mongolia asked for financial help from India after the country's border with China was blocked.[3]

Following Indian External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Mongolia in April 2018, India & Mongolia decided to establish an air-corridor to boost bilateral trade.[4] It is also expected that construction of Mongolia's first ever oil refinery will commence in 2023 with technical & financial assistance from Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL).[4]

Historical relations

There has been historical interaction between India and Mongolia for over 2,700 years.[5]

Delhi Sultanate

Main article: Mongol invasions of India

During the

Tughlaq dynasty in the north Indian city of Delhi.[6] The Sultan's army was defeated on 17 December 1398. Timur entered Delhi and the city was sacked, destroyed, and left in ruins, after Timur's army had killed and plundered for three days and nights. He ordered the whole city to be sacked except for the sayyids, scholars, and the other Muslims; 100,000 war prisoners were put to death in one day.[7]

Mughal Empire

Main article: Mughal Empire

In 1526,

Second Battle of Panipat
on 6 November 1556.

The Mughal dynasty ruled most of the

Mughal dynasty were reduced to puppet rulers by 1757. The remnants of the Mughal dynasty were finally defeated and taken over by the British during the Indian Rebellion of 1857, also called the 1857 War of Independence. As the British took over the remnants of the Mughal Empire, the dynasty
was ended.

The Mughals were perhaps the richest single dynasty to have ever existed. During the Mughal era, the dominant political forces consisted of the Mughal Empire and its tributaries and, later on, the rising successor states - including the

Hindu population.[citation needed
]

Cultural exchanges

Buddhism

See also: Buddhism in Mongolia

Buddhism was carried to Mongolia by Indian missionaries during the early Christian era.[5] As a result, today, Buddhists form the single largest religious denomination in Mongolia.

Buddhists entered the service of Mongol Empire in the early 13th century. Buddhist monasteries established in Karakorum were granted tax exempt status, though the religion was not given official status by the Mongols until later. All variants of Buddhism, such as

Indian Buddhism flourished, though Tibetan Buddhism was eventually favored at the imperial level under emperor Möngke, who appointed Namo from Kashmir
as chief of all Buddhist monks.

Ogedei's son and Guyuk's younger brother, Khoten, became the governor of

Buddhist
prince of Mongol empire.

Kublai Khan, the founder of Yuan dynasty, also favored Buddhism. As early as the 1240s, he made contacts with a Chan Buddhist monk Haiyun, who became his Buddhist adviser. Kublai's second son, whom he later officially designated as his successor in the Yuan dynasty, was given a Chinese name "Zhenjin" (literally, "True Gold") by Haiyun. Khatun Chabi influenced Kublai to be converted to Buddhism, as she had received the Hévajra tantra initiations from Phagspa and been impressed. Kublai appointed Phagspa his state preceptor, and later imperial preceptor, giving him power over all the Buddhist monks within the territory of the Yuan dynasty. For the rest of the Yuan dynasty in Mongolia and China, until the Mongols were overthrown in 1368, Tibetan lamas were the most influential Buddhist clergy. Via the Tibetan clergy, Indian Buddhist textual tradition strongly influenced the religious life in the Empire.

Some of the Ilkhans in Iran held Paghmo gru-pa order as their appanage in Tibet and lavishly patronized a variety of Indian, Tibetan and Chinese Buddhist monks. But in 1295,

Ozbeg Khan
.

Modern times

India established formal diplomatic relations with Mongolia on December 24, 1955, thereby becoming the first country outside the

liberation of Bangladesh by Indian troops.[10]

Joint Declaration of 1973

An Indo-Mongolian joint declaration was signed in February 1973 during the Indian visit of the Mongolian Prime Minister Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal.[5]

Treaty of Friendly Relations and Cooperation (1994)

A treaty of friendly relations and cooperation was signed in February 1994 during the visit of the then Mongolian president Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat, to India.[5]

As per the provisions of the treaty, India and Mongolia resolved to develop cooperation in trade and economy, science, health, agriculture, culture, education, communication and tourism. They also resolved to work closely to ensure security and curbing international crimes and terrorism.[5]

2001-present

In January 2001, the Mongolian president Natsagiin Bagabandi visited India.[11] During this visit, a Joint Declaration was issued and a series of six major agreements were signed in order to promote cooperation in the fields of Information Technology, Investment Promotion and Protection and mutual legal assistance in civil, criminal and commercial matters.[11] Mongolia conveyed its support to India's bid to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and also indicated its support for India's peace efforts with Pakistan.[11]

The Mongolian prime Minister Nambaryn Enkhbayar visited India in January 2004.[11] During this visit, three agreements were signed in order to promote mutual cooperation in the fields of Animal Health and Dairy, Space Science and biotechnology.[11]

India offered a

Ulaan Baatar were formalized during this visit.[12] The Foundation of IT Center was laid by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 17, 2015.[13] A Mongolian-run Buddhist monastery was established in the historic city of Bodh Gaya and its foundation stone was laid by Enkhbayar.[12]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a state visit to Mongolia in May 2015.

Indo-Mongolian relations have been growing ever since it was resolved to elevate ties to a "new level of partnership" during the India visit of Mongolian President Enkhbayar.

Parliament.[15] He also handed over Bhabhatron equipment to the National Cancer Centre in Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.[16] Furthermore, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to in May 2015, a $1 Billion line of credit was extended to Mongolia, for infrastructure development, amongst many other fields.[17]

In early 2021, India stepped up on the COVID-19 vaccine distribution to several countries, including Mongolia, to mitigate some of the delays by the WHO.[18] India donated 13 boxes (150k doses) of the COVID-19 vaccine to Mongolia, making it one of the first 25 countries to receive the vaccine from India. During the donation ceremony, Ambassador of India to Mongolia M P Singh noted the importance of Mongolia for India's Act East policy as a strategic partner and ‘spiritual neighbour.’[18]

Recent

Recently[when?], India and Mongolia have reviewed bilateral cooperation in hydrocarbons and steel sectors.[citation needed]

  • The Project came in the backdrop of Mongolia, which has large uranium deposits signing an agreement for civil nuclear cooperation with India in 2009 and China unfolding its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).[citation needed]
  • India is opposed to the Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to invest about US$8 trillion in infrastructure projects across Asia, Europe and Africa, as it says the initiative lures countries into debt traps and does not respect sovereignty.[citation needed]
  • India is building an oil refinery in Mongolia which will serve 70% of country's population. The worth of the project is $1.2 billion.[19]

See also

Notes

  1. Times of India
  2. Gallup
  3. ^ IANS (8 December 2016). "India responds to Mongolia's call for help". Business Standard India. Retrieved 24 January 2019 – via Business Standard.
  4. ^ a b "Minutes of India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation" (PDF). MEA.GOV.IN. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Indo-Mongolian relations, Pg 7
  6. ^ Timur - conquest of India Archived 12 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Elliot & Dawson. The History of India As told By Its Own Historians Vol III. pp. 445–446.
  8. ^ The Islamic World to 1600: Rise of the Great Islamic Empires (The Mughal Empire) Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Gumilev 2006.
  10. ^ "Mongolia Diary". Outlook. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  11. ^ a b c d e Indo-Mongolian relations, Pg 8
  12. ^ a b c Indo-Mongolian relations, Pg 9
  13. ^ "PM Modi lays foundation stone of IT Centre at Mongolian University of Science and Technology". news.biharprabha.com. ANI. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  14. ^ a b India 2008, Pg 496
  15. ^ "Full Text: PM Narendra Modi's Speech to the Parliament of Mongolia". news.biharprabha.com. PIB. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  16. ^ "PM Modi hands over Bhabhatron equipment to National Cancer Centre in Mongolia". news.biharprabha.com. ANI. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  17. ^ Kohn, Michael (17 May 2015). "India Extends Mongolia $1 Billion Credit Line for Infrastructure". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  18. ^ a b Giridharadas, Akshobh (17 March 2021). "Doctor Who: India's Soft Power Vaccine Diplomacy". Mongolia Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  19. ^ Mattoo, Shashank (23 April 2023). "'India-built Mongolia refinery by 2025'". mint. Retrieved 25 April 2023.

References

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