H.E. Mr. Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia, paid an official visit to the Republic of Cuba on 15-18 September 2016.

During the visit, H.E. Mr. Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia, and H.E. Mr. Raúl Castro, President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cuba, held bilateral talks. While launching the meeting, Mr. Raúl Castro expressed satisfaction that although Cuba and Mongolia isolated geographically, the two countries have been enjoying reciprocal supports and cooperation at the multilateral arena, and highlighted the importance of keeping this tradition in the future. Furthermore, Mr. Raúl Castro underlined the significance of the visit by Mongolian Head of State to the Republic of Cuba, as it is occurring after almost half a century.

President Ts. Elbegdorj expressed gratitude to Mr. Raúl Castro and the friendly people of Cuba for the warm hospitality extended to Mongolian delegation. President noted that Cuba was the very first nation from the Latin American region to establish diplomatic relations with Mongolia and the bilateral friendly relations have been strengthening over the past more than 50 years.

Parties assured that the educational cooperation has been playing an important role in the bilateral relations and the Cuban side announced that the Government of Cuba has decided to increase the number of scholarships, which has been offered to Mongolian students for many years. Since 1994, the Cuban Government offered 2-3 scholarships to Mongolian students studying dentistry and general medicine annually. To date, over 140 Mongolian students received the scholarships.

Moreover, parties exchanged views on cooperating in the fields of agriculture, medication, and biopharmaceutical, and agreed to collaborate towards introducing the vaccines and treatments against hepatitis B and C, and late stages of diabetes injections in Mongolia. President Ts. Elbegdorj also visited the Cuban Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. President invited the Mr. Eulogio Pimentel, Director-General of the Center and scientists to visit Mongolia and offered assistance in developing the cooperation in the fields of agriculture and medicine. The Center was founded by the then Cuban President Fidel Castro in 1982 with an objective of combating the viral infectious diseases in developing countries.

Within the margins of the visit, President Ts. Elbegdorj held a public lecture at the University of Havana, which was attended by the lecturers and students of the university.