'Spiritual siblings': India inks key pacts with Mongolia, elevates ties to strategic partnership

India and Mongolia strengthened their decade-old strategic partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa met at Hyderabad House on Tuesday. The two leaders announced major agreements spanning energy, defence, cultural exchange, free e-visas to Mongolian citizens and education, reaffirming shared values and regional cooperation.

10 pacts were signed covering cultural exchange, immigration cooperation, geology and mineral resources, humanitarian aid, cooperatives, yoga, and the renovation of Mongolia’s historic Bogd Khan Palace. Modi confirmed that India will fund Mongolia’s Oil Refinery Project through a $1.7 billion line of credit, its largest global development partnership involving over 2,500 Indian professionals. He said the project would strengthen Mongolia’s energy security and deepen bilateral trust.

Highlighting defence collaboration, Modi announced new capacity-building programmes for Mongolia’s border security forces and the appointment of a Defence Attaché at the Indian Embassy in Ulaanbaatar. India will also provide training to the Mongolian armed forces as part of the expanded defence cooperation framework.

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Shared heritage and future collaboration

Describing India and Mongolia as “spiritual siblings” bound by Buddhism, Modi said the holy relics of Lord Buddha’s disciples Sariputra and Maudgalyayana will be sent to Mongolia next year. India will also send a Sanskrit teacher to the Gandan Monastery and assist in digitising one million ancient manuscripts. Nalanda University and Gandan Monastery will be linked to strengthen academic and cultural ties.

A new MoU between the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council and Mongolia’s Arkhangai Province aims to enhance cultural relations. Modi noted that both nations share a commitment to a “free, open, inclusive and rules-based Indo-Pacific” and continue to collaborate closely on global platforms to amplify the voice of the Global South.

President Khurelsukh praised India’s role in Mongolia’s development and its leadership in clean energy, particularly through the International Solar Alliance. He also planted a banyan tree in memory of his late mother under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative, symbolising friendship and growth between the two nations.

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On economic cooperation, MEA Secretary (East) P Kumaran stated that discussions are ongoing to explore Mongolia’s potential as a source of coking coal for India. However, logistical challenges remain due to Mongolia’s landlocked geography, with routes via Tianjin in China or Vladivostok in Russia under consideration.

PM Modi said that India’s private sector is also exploring new areas of cooperation in critical minerals, rare earths, digital innovation, and mining—marking a new chapter in the India–Mongolia partnership.