Tokyo, Sept. 26 (Jiji Press)–Japan will provide Mongolia with about 150 billion yen in soft loans to expand Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Ulaanbaatar, Jiji Press learned Saturday. The loans are expected to be agreed on between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Mongolian counterpart, Nyam-Osor Uchral, at a summit Tuesday, when the two governments are also seen signing an exchange of notes, Japanese government officials said. The Mongolian parliament has already approved the loans, while the Japanese government is preparing to make a cabinet decision Tuesday. After the exchange of notes is signed, the government-backed Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Mongolian government will conclude a loan agreement. Japan has so far provided 65,657 million yen in loans to develop the airport, which opened in 2021. But passenger traffic has far exceeded initial projections, leaving parking aprons for large aircraft and the terminal building too small to handle demand. The two governments therefore determined that the airport needed to be expanded. While it has not been decided when construction work will start, a Mongolian official showed high expectations. The expanded airport would attract more visitors, the official said, adding that it would be ideal if the construction begins next year. Sandwiched between Russia and China, Mongolia relies on the airport as a key hub for people-to-people and economic exchanges with Japan and other countries it regards as “third neighbors.” Through the expansion, the Japanese government aims to strengthen air connectivity and support Mongolia’s independence and resilience. On Sept. 3 this year, the two countries effectively agreed on the airport expansion at a meeting between Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and his Mongolian counterpart, Batmunkh Battsetseg. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
