At the beginning of the talks, Putin recalled that in 2020, the trade between Russia and Mongolia decreased by 20 percent due to the pandemic, according to a Kremlin statement.

However, he said, in the first nine months of this year it increased by about 25 percent.

“There is every reason to believe that we will reach the pre-pandemic level and will be able to overcome it,” Putin said.

The Russian head of State thanked his counterpart for accepting the invitation to visit Moscow, and stressed that this is Khurelsukh’s first visit after his election at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Putin commented that, despite Covid-19, bilateral exchange is progressing in the areas of economy, politics, as well as cooperation in the military field and in different international organizations. jg/abo/gas/mml