Brussels, 05/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth Androulla Vassiliou will visit Ulan Bator on 7-9 September to encourage Mongolia's authorities to extend the partnership and cooperation agreement signed in 2013 so that it will then also cover people-to-people exchanges.
The EU and Mongolia, which celebrate 25 years of cooperation in 2014, are not holding formal dialogue on people-to-people exchanges. Currently Mongolia's participation in European cooperation programmes and international academic and research exchanges remains limited: five Mongolian institutions have participated in Erasmus Mundus projects - two of them having participated in two projects aimed at enhancing the attractiveness of European higher education in the world (ISEKI, on internationalisation and sustainability of food networks, and AskAsia on agriculture, skills, knowledge in Asia: competences and employability); 16 Mongolian students and 2 doctoral candidates were selected to follow an Erasmus Mundus joint masters or PhD programme in the period 2004-2013 (exchanges involving 227 Mongolians have taken place, or are envisaged, under Erasmus Mundus partnerships in the period 2007-2016); and so far only one Mongolian researcher has benefited from a Marie Curie fellowship.
During Vassiliou's discussions with the Mongolian authorities (meetings are scheduled with Mongolia's President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Prime Minister Norovyn Altankhuyag, Minister for Education and Science Luvsannyam Gantumur, and Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism Tsedevdamba Oyungerel) she is expected to underline the main objective of the new cooperation agreement - the strengthening of bilateral relations, especially through the possibilities offered to Mongolian students and researchers as part of the Erasmus+ programme and Marie Curie Actions under the Horizon 2020 programme. (EH)