For the better part of 2020 we had been planning our first Virtual Trade Mission to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in association with the Honorary Consul of Mongolia for Scotland and from 19th to 21st January 2021, we brought along 18 Scottish Businesses and connected over 100 delegates showcasing a diversity of potential and productive trading relationships from Scotland & Mongolia.
Mongolia is landlocked between China and Russia and they actively pursue a ‘Third Neighbour Policy’ and are keen to trade with other International partners, Scotland included which has shown throughout this week’s activities.
We kicked off the trade mission events, with a welcome from Billy MacLeod, President of West Lothian Chamber of Commerce alongside Stuart Hamilton who leads international activities at Scottish Chambers of Commerce. It was noted how important it was to keep trading internationally throughout this pandemic and going forward trade missions like this are vital as it is a great way to venture into a new market without financial commitment.
Working with David Scott, Honorary Consul for Mongolia for Scotland, we were able to welcome a number of Mongolian Officials to present their thoughts to our delegates, they included:
Ambassador Tulga
Mongolian Ambassador to the UK
Ms. Oyu Vasha
Director-General of Economic Cooperation and Foreign Trade Department Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ambassador Malone, FCDO
HM Ambassador to Mongolia
Following this, day one concluded with a Market Awareness Session, informing our delegates about trading conditions in Mongolia. We were delighted to have a diverse panel representing Mongolia, including:
Onon Sukhbaatar, Senior Market Policy Officer
British Embassy, Ulaanbaatar.
Marc Hawkins, Executive Director
Sonoforte Group, Ulaanbaatar
Anudari Batsukh, Manager Human Resources
Larudi Consulting, Ulaanbaatar.
John Grogan, Chair
Mongolian British Chamber of Commerce.
The start of day two saw us getting down to business with sector specific meetings with Mongolian businesses, tailored according to industry and business objectives, these included Alcohol, Agriculture, Cashmere, Energy, Health & Safety and Education. These meetings proved very beneficial to all the delegates with good interaction and interest in taking the next step towards trading links.
The Trade Mission concluded with delegates joining the Mongolian British Chamber of Commerce “Doing Business in Mongolia” conference and the commitment to a physical visit to Ulaanbaatar in September, travel restrictions permitting. Meanwhile the Chamber have helped to facilitate follow up conversations to support our Scottish Delegates to nurture the business relationships they have started to develop.
The Chamber and its partners have been delighted with the results of the trade mission which has shown the eagerness of businesses from both countries to increase the markets connectivity.
