This article sets out how diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia were established, the high-level visits exchanged since then, the dialogue mechanisms the two governments use and the main agreements they have signed. It draws on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief of April 2026, which describes the position as on 10 April 2026.

How the brief describes the relationship

According to the MEA brief of April 2026, India and Mongolia are "Strategic Partners, Spiritual Siblings and Third Neighbours" with "centuries old deep civilizational linkages through Buddhism". The brief adds that four pillars, which it calls the 4 Ds, have become central to the relationship: Dharma, Democracy, Development Partnership and Digital Development Cooperation.

Establishment of diplomatic relations

India's diplomatic relations with Mongolia were established on 24 December 1955. The brief records that Mongolians appreciate India's support for Mongolia's membership of the United Nations in 1961, which it says was championed by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. India also supported Mongolia's membership of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1991.

The brief further states that Mongolia, together with India and Bhutan, co-sponsored the UN resolution for the recognition of Bangladesh as an independent country in 1972. The Indian mission marked the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2020, and the 70th anniversary was celebrated in 2025.

The 2015 visit and the Strategic Partnership

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Mongolia from 16 to 18 May 2015, the first visit at the level of Prime Minister, to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. The brief places the visit within India's 'Act East' policy and states that the relationship was elevated to the level of a "Strategic Partnership" during it.

The outcomes listed in the brief include a 22-point Joint Statement, the announcement of a USD 1 Billion Line of Credit for the development of infrastructure in Mongolia, which is being used to build Mongolia's first oil refinery, and 13 agreements in diverse fields. Two of these, on the transfer of sentenced prisoners and on air services, are described in the practical guide. The others named in the brief are:

  • Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Animal Health and Dairy
  • MOU on establishment of a Joint India-Mongolia Friendship School
  • MOU on cooperation in the area of Traditional Systems of Medicine
  • Cultural Exchange Program for 2015-18
  • MOU on Cooperation in the field of Border Patrolling & Surveillance
  • MOU on cooperation between National Security Councils
  • MOU on gifting a Bhabatron-II Cancer Therapy Machine to the National Cancer Centre in Ulaanbaatar, which the brief records as implemented

The brief notes that the Prime Minister addressed the Mongolian Parliament on a Sunday, and that the Parliament had never before convened on a holiday for a visiting foreign dignitary.

Meetings between leaders

Prime Minister Modi met Prime Minister J. Erdenebat on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2017. He met the then President Kh Battulga on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit at Qingdao, China, in June 2018 and of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September 2019. The two then held a full bilateral meeting in New Delhi during President Battulga's State Visit to India from 19 to 23 September 2019.

President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa of Mongolia paid a state visit to India from 13 to 16 October 2025. The brief describes the visit as successful and states that it further strengthened the Strategic Partnership.

Foreign ministers

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Smt Sushma Swaraj visited Mongolia from 24 to 26 April 2018. EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Mr D. Tsogtbaatar in August 2019 at the East Asia Summit and Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bangkok, followed by a telephone call in May 2020. Mr. Tsogtbaatar had visited India from 8 to 10 January 2019 for the Raisina Dialogue.

Dr. Jaishankar has met Foreign Minister Ms. B. Battsetseg on several occasions:

  • on the margins of the CICA meeting in Kazakhstan on 12 October 2021
  • in a pull-aside meeting during COP 26 in Glasgow in November 2021
  • at the Munich Security Conference in February 2022
  • at the UN in September 2024
  • at the Munich Security Conference on 15 February 2025
  • at the Critical Minerals Ministerial in Washington on 02-04 February 2026

He also had a brief meeting with the Prime Minister of Mongolia during the SCO Summit in Islamabad on 15-16 October 2024.

EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar paid an official visit to Mongolia from 22-23 June 2026 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Ms. B. Battsetseg. He held talks with her, called on President Khurelsukh U and visited the construction site of the India-assisted Oil Refinery Project in Dornogovi province.

Parliamentary exchanges

The Speaker of the Great Khural, G. Zandanshatar, visited India with 6 parliamentarians from 30 November to 5 December 2021. The Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla, paid a reciprocal visit to Mongolia from 6 to 8 July 2023 with 5 MPs. Views were exchanged on parliamentary cooperation, and two Protocols of Cooperation on parliamentary matters were signed.

Earlier Lok Sabha Speakers who visited Mongolia, according to the brief, were Dr. G.S. Dhillon (1974), Dr. Balram Jhakhar (1985), Shri Shivraj Patil (1995), Shri P.A. Sangma (1997), Shri GMC Balayogi (2001), Smt Meira Kumar (2010) and Smt Sumitra Mahajan (2016).

India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation

The India-Mongolia Joint Committee on Cooperation (IMJCC) is chaired at Ministerial level. Its 5th meeting was held in New Delhi in April 2016 under MoS(EA) Gen (Retd.) V.K. Singh and Foreign Minister Mr. L. Purevsuren. The 6th meeting was held in Ulaanbaatar on 25 April 2018 under EAM Smt Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Minister Mr. D. Tsogtbaatar.

The 7th meeting was held virtually in December 2020, co-chaired by EAM and the Mongolian Chief Cabinet Secretary, Oyun Erdene, whom the brief describes as the present Prime Minister. At that meeting the two ministers virtually released a 65th anniversary commemorative stamp issued by Mongol Post. The brief states that the next round of the IMJCC is to be held soon.

Foreign Office Consultations

Before 2023, the last Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) were held in Ulaanbaatar on 23 December 2016, with the Joint Secretary (EA) in MEA leading the Indian side. The State Secretary of Mongolia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs visited India in the first week of November 2018 to discuss bilateral issues.

Secretary (East) Shri Saurabh Kumar visited Mongolia from 12 to 15 September 2023, held discussions with the State Secretary and reviewed the progress of ongoing development projects. On 19 March 2025, State Secretary Mr. Munkhtushig Lkhanaajav led a delegation for talks with Secretary (East) in New Delhi, after attending the Raisina Dialogue on 17-18 March 2025. It was agreed to raise the consultations to Secretary level.

Secretary (East) Shri P. Kumaran visited Mongolia from 21 to 24 September 2025. He held discussions with the State Secretary, with the Ministers of Education and of Industry & Mineral Resources, and with the Secretary of the National Security Council.

Other visits

Other visits from India listed in the brief include those of President R. Venkataraman (1988) and President Pratibha Devisingh Patil (2011), and of Vice-Presidents Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (1957), Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma (1992), Shri K. R. Narayanan (1996), Shri Krishan Kant (1999) and Shri Hamid Ansari (2016, for the ASEM meeting). More recent visitors include Minister of Home Affairs Shri Rajnath Singh (21-24 June 2018), Chief Election Commissioner Shri Rajiv Kumar (25-29 June 2024) and the Governor of Bihar, Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar (30 September to 05 October 2024).

Visits from Mongolia listed in the brief include those of Mr U. Tsendenbal as Chairman of the Presidium (1959) and as Prime Minister (1973), Mr Bathmunkh as Chairman of the Presidium (March 1989), President Ochirbat (1994), Mr. Natsagiin Bagabandi as Speaker of Parliament (1996) and as President (2001), Prime Minister N. Enkhbayar (2004), President Ts. Elbegdorj (2009) and Deputy Prime Minister U. Khurelsukh (November 2016). Recent visitors include Vice Foreign Minister Mr. Amartuvshin Gombosuren, for the 9th Raisina Dialogue (21-23 February 2024), and Mr. Enkhbat Damdin, Secretary General of the State Great Khural (25 February to 01 March 2024).

Cooperation in international forums

The brief states that Mongolia has traditionally supported India in the United Nations and other international forums. Mongolia supported India for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2011-2012, and the two countries declared support to each other for non-permanent seats for the terms 2021-22 and 2023-24. Mongolia has publicly reiterated its support for India's membership of the permanent seat of an expanded UN Security Council.

Mongolia voted in favour of India's proposal to inscribe Yoga on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and India voted to register the "Mongolian Traditional Custom to Worship Mountain and Ovoo" on the same list. Since 2017, according to the brief, Mongolia has supported Indian candidates in a long list of elections, including to:

  • the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)
  • the Executive Board of UNESCO
  • the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
  • the Council of the IMO in Category 'B'
  • the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), for the term 2020-2022
  • the Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), for the term 2023-26
  • the UN Economic and Social Council, for the 2026-2028 term
  • the Postal Operations Council (POC) and Council of Administration (CA) of the UPU, for the 2026-2029 term