The Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Maria Tripodi, is on a mission in Mongolia, where she co-chaired the 4th Political Consultations Mechanism alongside the Mongolian State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Munkhtushig Lkhanaajav. The agenda covered bilateral relations, cooperation in defence and security, global crises, the fight against corruption and poverty, relations with the European Union, and multilateral cooperation.
“Italy and Mongolia share deep ties of friendship and cooperation, reflected in the excellent state of our relations, which this year mark their 55th anniversary,” commented Tripodi. She then co-chaired, together with the Mongolian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Battsetseg Batmunkh, the 4th Intergovernmental Commission on Technical and Economic Cooperation, focusing on strategic complementarities between the two economies.
“The figures confirm the strength of our relationship and the opportunities we can seize together,” the Undersecretary noted, highlighting that Italy is Mongolia’s second-largest European trading partner after Germany, with a trade exchange worth €139 million. She also pointed out Italy’s key role in sectors such as cashmere—where Italy is the world’s largest importer and the second-largest after China—as well as in machinery, particularly for mining, where Italy is among the top exporters.
“Italy and Mongolia are economies set to become increasingly integrated, as recently demonstrated by the signing of the first air transport agreement between the two countries in Rome. This agreement—strongly supported by the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani—has paved the way for the establishment of direct flights to Ulaanbaatar,” Tripodi emphasised. This initiative also aims to fully exploit investment opportunities offered by the EU’s Global Gateway strategy and to enhance business ties, particularly to the benefit of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)—the backbone of the Mongolian economy. In this regard, the forthcoming EU-Mongolia Business Forum, scheduled for October 2025, was also highlighted.
