As a part of his participation in the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum being held in Vietnam, Speaker of Parliament M.Enkhbold met with Chilean legislators led by President of Chilean Lower House of the National Congress Fidel Espinoza on January 19 to discuss new collaboration opportunities between the two nations. During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on effective management of natural mineral resources, and mining, exploration and sale in the copper mining sector as Chile plays a significant role in the world’s copper industry. The Chilean parliamentarian noted that Chile, Peru and Mongolia need to improve their cooperation with each other to play a leadership role in the world’s copper sector. The Chilean lawmakers pointed out that there are some opportunities to improve cooperation between the two countries’ legislatures such through enhancing legislatures’ transparency and accountability. Giorgio Jackson, a member of the Chilean Congress, noted that as Chile has been focusing on improving its education sector in recent years by carrying out education reform, the two countries will be able to collaborate with each other in this matter. Speaker M.Enkhbold asked the Chilean lawmakers to help learn more about their experience in creating investment and endowment funds, and adopting a pension insurance system. Espinoza emphasized that a Chile-Mongolia inter-parliamentary group in the Chilean legislature will be set up soon to promote the two legislatures’ collaboration. LAOS When Speaker M.Enkhbold met with Vice-President of the Laos’ National Assembly Sengnoun Xayyalath on January 19, they discussed the future of proposed projects to export livestock meat, meat products and carpet from Mongolia to Laos, and import wooden furniture and fruits from Laos to Mongolia that will help boost trade turnover between the two countries. The officials talked about collaboration opportunities under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and possibilities to take advantage of the Kunming-Vientiane high-speed railway connecting Laos to China. The sides agreed to carry out preparation to establish a trilateral treaty between the governments of China, Laos and Mongolia on transit transport. Xayyalath noted that he will support proposed projects to enhance trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, and underlined that the Laos’ National Assembly is ready to cooperate with the Mongolian Parliament to improve legislation process and the implementations of new and amended laws, and study officials of the Mongolian Parliament’s Secretariat in Laos to enhance their competency. At the end of their meeting, Xayyalath invited Speaker M.Enkhbold to visit Laos at his convenience. CHINA In his meeting with Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress Chen Zhu on January 20, Speaker M.Enkhbold asked Zhu to help ratify an agreement between the governments of China and Mongolia on transit transport. Zhu told the speaker that China’s congress will focus on ratifying the agreement. RUSSIA Speaker M.Enkhbold met with Deputy Chairperson of the Russian State Duma Olga Yepifanova on January 20, and the Russian deputy chairperson noted that as she is responsible for affairs regarding the Far East, and child, family and social development in Duma, there are possibilities for the two parliaments to cooperate in this area. MEXICO Speaker M.Enkhbold also met with President of the Mexican Senate Ernesto Cordero Arroyo on January 20 to discuss relations and cooperation between the two nations. The speaker pointed out that Mongolia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs put forward a proposal to set up a joint task force to implement a cultural exchange program between the two countries to the Mexican side in 2017, and underlined that implementing the program will have a positive impact on developing the two countries’ culture, education, science, and sports cooperation. The speaker asked his Mexican counterpart to support Mongolia in gaining membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and to open the two countries’ embassies in Ulaanbaatar and Mexico City. Arroyo thanked the government of Mongolia for voting to elect Mexico as a member of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from 2017 to 2020, and said Mexico will support Mongolia’s proposal for the APEC membership. He stated that as the Mexico-Mongolia inter-parliamentary group in the Mexico’s legislature was created most recently, the group will be organizing mutual visits between the nations' lawmakers and programs to exchange experiences between the two countries’ legislatures.