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Emerging Democracies Forum
Managing the Twin Transitions
Opening Ceremonies
(26 of 29 pages)
Les Campbell: Thank you for the declaration from Malawi. I will now ask
the co-chair, the Right Honorable Campbell, if she would introduce the next speaker.
Kim Campbell: Thank you very much and congratulations on these excellent presentations. We've now come to
the final part of our agenda this morning which is summary and closing remarks. There's been a great deal to think
about. Just to keep everybody awake and alert we're actually going to change the order of the last two speakers.
And we will hear, first of all, from the Chair of the Mongolian Parliament, the Honorable Gonchigdorf Radmaasumberel.
Gonchigdorf Radmaasumberel: Thank you, Madame Chairwoman. Your Excellency, Prime Minister Abdulkarim Al-Eryani,
NDI President Kenneth Wollack, and Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm honored to extend my warm greetings
to all of you who are present here to exchange views and experiences concerning historical lessons, ideological
challenges facing underdeveloped countries opting for democratization, to the implementation of political, economic
and social reforms. We look forward to explaining the ways and means of elevating these challenges.
I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the National Democratic Institution for International
Affairs, the U.N.D.P., other organizations, Canada, Japan, Netherlands, the U.K., and the U.S.A. for providing
us this valuable opportunity at the forum. I am honored to convey my profound gratitude to the government of the
Republic of Yemen for organizing this forum in your beautiful city of Sana'a and extending generous hospitality.
We would also like to thank all that have provided comfortable working condition for all of us.
I am delighted to have the opportunity to participate in this forum on behalf of Mongolia. A nation with an ancient
history situated in the heart of central Asia. Mongolia is a large country brightly marked on the world political
map between the Russian federation and the People's Republic of China. In its history of 2,000 years as a nation
with a state system, Mongolia - like any other nation state - experiences both prosperity and decline. There are
many people who are well aware that the Mongolian emperors of the day, descendants who ruled central and middle
Asia had a flexible approach in dealing with various religious beliefs. Some emperors were of Islamic faith and
did much to spread the fate of Islam. Jingoes Khan and his successors from the
13th century did much to spread the influence of Mongolia. A lack of awareness about modern Mongolia is due to
several factors. For example, one should have eliminated Mongolia from the early 17th century onward for 200 years
until our country restored its independence at the beginning of the 20th century, it was under the patronage of
the former Soviet Union and had to accept communist orientation due to the direct economic and political influence.
In other words, Mongolia existed under the closed environment of the world arena in terms of economic contacts.
The development opportunity for Mongolia occurred at the end of the 1980s when Mongolia chose a democratic political
system combined with a market-oriented economic structure. This was a unique and historic phenomenon. Since the
1990s there was a peaceful transition from a totalitarian political regime to a democratic system. A multi-party
system was created in Mongolia for the first time and free democratic elections were held. As a result, a multi-party
legislative body was constituted as the foundation for the modern democratic parliament. In 1992 the new constitution
of Mongolia was adopted and second democratic election was held in accordance with the new constitution. From this
time on a simultaneous transition to political democracy and free market economy we came irreversible. This Mongolia
intends to be leader of countries in transition.
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