India- Mongolia relations take a strategic leap forward

From October 13 to October 16 2025, the President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa undertook a state visit to India. The visit also assumed significance as it marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Relations between the two countries are not only rooted in shared cultural and spiritual links and democratic values but also focusses on sectors such as defence and security, parliamentary exchanges, development partnership, energy, mining, information technology, education, healthcare, and cultural cooperation.

For landlocked Mongolia, India is an important partner in its Third Neighbour Policy, a foreign policy initiative to build strong relations with countries beyond its two immediate neighbours, namely Russia and China. For India, Mongolia is an important strategic partner in Central Asia and also a spiritual neighbour. Relations between India and Mongolia entered a new phase with the 2015 Mongolia visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Central Asian landlocked country.

An important outcome of Modi’s 2015 visit was elevation of the comprehensive partnership to a Strategic Partnership between the two countries.