The following interview is with Sebastien Surun, the 17th French ambassador to Mongolia since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1965.

Are you visiting Mongolia for the first time? Can you share your impressions?

It’s been three months since I first came to Mongolia. I am very happy to be working in this country. I recently came here but I only got to visit places other than Ulaanbaatar. I’m very impressed.

Were you happy to work in Mongolia?

I am fascinated by the challenges and uniqueness of Mongolia and its region. For the last 30 years, the policy and process of becoming a democratic and open country have taken place here. I previously worked in Zimbabwe, Berlin, Tehran and Jakarta. Although Asia has common cultural elements, there are very different societies. Mongolia also has its own unique characteristics. But Jakarta, Tehran and Ulaanbaatar have one thing in common and that is the traffic jam.

Democracy in Mongolia is described in different ways, such as exemplary and distorted. How do you see it?

The democratic situation in Mongolia was no different than what I thought it might be. Democracy is a process. It takes a long time to form. Democracy creates itself. For example, democracy has emerged in Mongolia since half of the country’s people chose a democratic society. Today, they are building their own democracy. The amendment to the Constitution of Mongolia was passed two years ago to balance the distribution of powers of the president, government and Parliament. This is how democracy exists in any society. Last September, our Senate delegation paid an official visit to Mongolia. During the meeting, lawmakers exchanged views on the role of the legislature and its challenges. It is important to talk openly about problems with others.

You graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Studies. Which area in politics are you interested in?

I study political geography. Mongolia’s geography is very unique. It is also very interesting because it has a vast territory. As a  diplomat, it is interesting to see the geographical features of a region, country, or continent. It is important to find out whether our cooperation projects are in line with the country’s geography.

Are the geographical features of our country compatible with the relations and cooperation between the two countries?

Yes. There are several reasons for this conclusion. France has territories in the Indo-Pacific region. About 1.5 million French people live in the region. About 7,000 of our soldiers are working in the field of security. In this sense, France’s strategy in the region is important. France attaches great importance to multilateral cooperation. We have a policy of supporting and cooperating with countries in the region to strengthen the rule of law. It is important for any country to reinforce its laws and regulations.

The core of the French-Mongolian cooperation is, firstly, to strengthen Mongolia’s sovereignty and secondly, to work together to combat global climate change.

You spoke about strengthening Mongolia’s sovereignty. Can you tell me more about this?

This means that France seeks to contribute to and support all efforts of Mongolia to ensure its sovereignty. For instance, I would like to mention a project in the field of civil security, which is being implemented in cooperation with the National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia (NEMA). Improving public services for the people of Mongolia is important in strengthening its sovereignty. 

France is working to help Mongolia provide the best and highest quality services to its people. In addition to supplying machinery, equipment and vehicles, comprehensive professional training is being organized under the project for NEMA officers who will operate or use these supplies.

In the framework of multilateral defense cooperation, the troops of our two countries are very active in peacekeeping operations. We can also mention the energy sector. We want to help Mongolia become independent in the energy sector and supply its energy needs domestically. It has a lot of renewable energy resources. Furthermore, the country’s independence of food and agriculture sectors is important. Our two countries have extensive experience in cooperation in these areas. These projects play an important role in bilateral cooperation. They are key policy projects for the two countries.

Relations between the two countries in the field of renewable energy, as well as environmental cooperation, have a long history. After receiving your credentials, President U.Khurelsukh met you and expressed his desire to intensify cooperation in the field of renewable energy. What do you think Mongolians should do to make this cooperation more effective?

Line ministries of our two countries plan to hold a joint working group meeting in late December to discuss agricultural cooperation. At the upcoming meeting, the issues raised at the meeting with President U.Khurelsukh will be discussed in detail.

The Mongolian side needs to implement its decisions at all levels and keep them consistent. The priorities for cooperation in key areas identified by the two sides are very clear. This also has been identified at the government level. But at the local level, its decisions are slightly different. If decisions at all levels are not implemented together, time is wasted and a difficult situation arises. Of course, there are different opinions and positions among the public. This is the essence of a democratic society. But delivering accurate and scientific information to the public is something we must work together on. I mentioned traffic jams before. We need to find a solution to this problem. At the request of the Mongolian side, the French side proposed a project to introduce cable cars in public transport. The project aims to make public transport as accessible and simple as possible. It has already been approved by Parliament, the government and Ulaanbaatar administration, but we have been told that the route needs to be renegotiated. It will take more time. In fact, all sides worked on it and made an effort.

Can you tell us more about cable cars?

This is a vehicle that will not cause congestion in any case. This will reduce the average traveling time from the suburbs to the city center from 60 minutes to 17 minutes. Many major cities around the world have introduced this form of public transportation. It is environmentally friendly and does not emit carbon dioxide or air pollution. Also, it doesn’t make loud noises, so it doesn’t cause any environmental stress. This project is not limited to bilateral cooperation between France and Mongolia. It is part of a larger project being implemented by the Asian Development Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

I heard that the French side offered to implement this project on very favorable terms. Can you provide information on its conditions and criteria?

I don’t know the details of the loan. But I know it is the most favorable loan. In other words, its interest rate is very low and the repayment period starts in a few years after it is commissioned. In addition to the machinery and equipment to be provided under the project, the funding also includes training.

Besides supplying cars and helicopters to the emergency services, their personnel and pilots are being trained under the project. How will this project expand in the future?

A total of 38 fire trucks were handed over to the Mongolian side. As an ambassador, it’s good to see those trucks in use. There are beginners in helicopter pilot training. We want to train experienced pilots, but there are very few. The main goal of the project is to train Mongolians to operate the supplied equipment themselves and train the next generation by themselves. It is related to strengthening Mongolia’s sovereignty. Strengthening the independence of each sector will further strengthen the country’s sovereignty. Training and workshops conducted under the project are going very successfully. Whenever trainers come from France, I meet each of them before and after the training. They usually say that they have learned a lot from Mongolians. For instance, they talked about how Mongolians run French-made cars at -30 degrees Celsius. It is, on the other hand, an exchange of experiences. Mongolian firefighters also have their own skills.

The 2024 Olympics will be held in Paris. How is France preparing for this? What are the features of the Paris Olympics?

France aims to host the Olympics and Paralympics at the same time. The Olympics are held first. I think this leads to the Paralympic Games being left out of the spotlight. Moreover, mobile phones have emojis for almost all sports, but not Paralympic ones. We are working hard to change all this and keep the Paralympics at the same level as the Olympic Games.

Mongolia needs to start preparing for the 2024 Olympics without delay. In early December, the Mongolian and French junior and adult national judo teams began joint training. I went to see their training. I am glad that our athletes have such a friendly relationship. We will do our best to support Mongolian athletes, because your athletes are very talented. Mongolian athletes have great potential for success in many of the long-established and emerging sports in Mongolia.

Mining, especially uranium extraction, is a major sector of the Mongolian-French cooperation. However, it is no secret that there is common understanding that Badrakh Energy LLC is destroying Mongolia’s environment, as well as its operation being harmful to people and animals. What is your position on this?

It has been more than 20 years since this project was started. The French government-owned Orano SA and the Mongolian state-owned Mon Atom LLC co-founded Badrakh Energy LLC. Orano operates in several countries and has extensive experience in this field. Providing accurate and factual information to the public about the project was neglected. As a result, misunderstandings arose among local people and herders. From now on, we need to pay attention to providing accurate and factual information on a scientific basis. Last November, at the request of local residents, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences conducted a study on the impact of uranium. The results of the study confirm that Badrakh Energy’s operations have no adverse effects on the environment, soil or water and are not harmful to human or animal health. Such studies have been conducted many times before. The result is always the same. The mine did not start production for a long time. Now it is important to start production and see the results.