 let me let me first mr. President tell a few things about your extremely interesting career you were a student in Moscow Ukraine in Ukraine in the Soviet Union then in the Soviet time at the time of Gorbachev yes and so that was of course an extremely interesting time to be a student in in the Soviet Union and your field was military journalism and you could observe the last year of the communist regime from within and in a very interesting way we don't have time to discuss it in depth that's one point and after the collapse of the Soviet Union you became soon a political actor so with background in journalism and all together you have been in office for 12 years four years I think as a prime minister and eight years as president two terms president and I understand that your political career is not necessarily finished and during those years you have developed a very interesting foreign policy that we will discuss in a minute but let me start perhaps to by asking you to say a few words about the economic situation in Mongolia because not so long ago Mongolia was considered to be a real emerging booming country and then of course the commodity crisis came and the situation is slightly different today so could you please tell us a few words about the current situation and foreseeable situation in the Mongolian economy and then we will switch to why the subjects yeah I think this is a great platform this world policy conference and I'm really grateful for you and for your team and putting these things here and also I am really grateful for our gracious host King the Macmaraco yesterday night was really amazing and above Mongolia and our economy you know Mongolia is a more than three million people one point five million square kilometer land sixty million cattle and Mongolia is a one of the 10th richest country in terms of the mineral resources and many foreigners and investors are actually attracted by that and one time Mongolia was in during 2011 2012 was fast growing economy in the world that the rate was 17% and now we have 3% and the Mongolian economy is based on the commodity our biggest market is China Mongolia is based between Russia and China most liberal and free and most liberal economic and political establishment but still there are some big interest in Mongolia investing if people think that I think Mongolia is the good place in terms of the market in terms of the young population and openness Mongolia is really open country and everyone coming to invest I think they can benefit from Mongolia cooperation well thank you very much so now let's switch to international affairs and the contribution of Mongolia which actually is much more than most people think because of your you have a very close relations with both Koreas you know while South Korea but also North Korea you know the situation extremely well there are some cultural also connections within Mongolia and Korea you have also very balanced relations with Russia and China and you have had a personal role and still have a personal role maybe that you will comment on you also have deep knowledge and relations with Iran and this is not the end of the list so this is relatively unknown except for a few experts so it would be very interesting to listen to you to listen to you talking about these aspects of the Mongolian foreign policy to which I've been a great contributor in terms of the our relations with North Korea and we have a embassy in North Korea in Pyongyang we have a long-standing relationship with South Korea and also my government and myself initiated the launch the one initiative called Ulaanbaatar dialogue on North East Asian security it's like health and key process is still going on every June every year we have experts from North Korea and South Korea from America from Europe and Russia China Japan and we are bringing them and also discussing issues related with the North East Asian situation I several times visited North Korea and I gave lecture at the Kim Il-Sung University titled no dictatorship lasts forever and they actually asked me not to mention word related democracy human rights marked economy but I didn't mention that I gave that lecture that was really interesting experience for me and the many North Koreans come to Mongolia and we still keeping that channel open now there is one of the biggest question how to stop how to deal with this North Korean new issues and I have my own perspectives there I think there needs to be kind of dual channel you know Korean war never ended with the peace agreement North Koreans want to have that peace agreement I think peace agreement new case you should be discussed in a at the same time that might be good I think Korean nuke nuclear program is not the ordinary one that the regime dependent on that without new nuclear program I think that regime can might be not so why because of that we understand we have to give you some type of the face saving tool and face saving opportunities to them and that's them that might be that peace agreement also there are Chinese talking about the dual freeze freezing the Tart system in South Korea and beginning to talk also freezing the nuclear program and I think in this regard we need have some trusted partner in my country and myself and my country is a can be Mongolia can be that trusted partner because we have no vested interest and we have really good relations with Japan with China and Russia with boss Korea and with America and the Mongolia host of several meetings bilateral meetings between North Korea and Japan in Ulaanbaatar during my time I think we can play really some some special role there and I'm I'm ready contribute to that and that that's my take on North Korea so maybe we can you mentioned the Russia in China also yes we will move to that just after but just after but let us stay what two or three minutes more on on Korea you mentioned I think now everyone understands that that for North Korea accessing to nuclear weapons is a matter of survival of regime survival so could you be more specific on what kinds of compromise could be acceptable for the North Korean regime that would be in fact giving up nuclear weapons and nevertheless feeling seriously reassured on on on the future of the regime itself you know so it's a very difficult equation I think crucial thing is engagement if I were the leader of the US or other country China I would win white Kim Jong-un there and we need to take him out from his vacuum and to show how his world you know looking for them and what what kind of possibilities there and the engagement is a crucial thing and there is now almost no engagement and because of that I think they also they want to to talk issues and the people most of the powers didn't listen that they only say that you stop your nuclear program if you don't stop that if you don't accept this condition we will not talk I think there needs to be open second door peace agreement and other issues there there are other many dimensions and I think dialogue is very important and as we talked during in a dialogue there is no losers no winners because of that engagement is really crucial have you ever met Kim Jong-un yourself officially not and non-officially maybe I don't know even though you seem to be mentally totally healthy yeah I met many yeah many many his father the father his father actually he's a grandfather visited Mongolia two times yeah we have that relations and historical relations yeah Mongolia's raised many North Korean orphanage children in Mongolia and after the war and we I think Mongolia maintaining since the inception of the North Korean state our diplomatic relations one of few countries so let us switch now to Russia China Russia and China our two big neighbors and we have one important mechanism now we call it the summit Mongolian president Russian president and Chinese president we have a once every year every year once we meet at the high level and we had a three meetings and now we are maintaining and our new president will maintain it and China and Russia is committed to that and also Russia China is really respecting our people's choice and our way of life our sovereign right existing between them and we don't have any political or border disputes with Russia and China and we existed we are living together for centuries maybe four thousands of years and you know Mongolia's actually built biggest in the Empire one time under Genghis Khan who belied Han from the historical terms Mongolia's actually introduced new world order during that time Mongolians ruled under greeting law that that law called great great government and also Mongolia's respected the religious belief Mongolia's had a established most biggest pony type express postal system all over our kingdom and we we were in a purge we were in Asia we were in Europe and because of that I think Mongolian thinking is quite big and because of that we were really proud of our history we really proud of our present and the Mongolia's only liberal political economic establishment since 1990 in our region we have one of the advanced election system in in Mongolia for example every elections computerized and the fingerprint system and biometric system and election results can be seen on the TV screen every every household and we have that vibrant democracy and now myself is committed to sharing our experiences we are not going to teach to anyone and make people come from the Myanmar Eastern countries even from North Korea learn there is different way if you give to the people rights and people can use that and people can be creative free people can be really creative in the Mongolian philosophy of the world and it's very different in Russia and China and my philosophy also we have to give more right to our people there shouldn't be no central neural system like a starfish if you cut fingers on one fingers of the starfish that grow because there is no central neural system but if there is bad president or bad government in Mongolia I think our people should survive thanks to their right thanks to their creativeness and I think interesting place there is no censorship on media taught on freedom of expression taught in Mongolia I think if you never been in Mongolia if you are interested to go to Mongolia it's step less to go to see some great experiences there and I must add which is also not well known that under your leadership the death punishment has been abolished capital punishment capital punishment yes capital punishment is abolished under your leadership at a different level you know when I was a young young director of the policy planning staff in the French Foreign Ministry we used to say that the worst capital to be an ambassador was Ulaanbaatar and there was a name maybe somebody whose name you know who say he was Monsieur Perush Monsieur Perush was very famous because he had been ambassador to Ulaanbaatar living in a very small apartment which was the embassy at the same time and he found that to be ambassador to Vietnam at the time which she also was was paradise compared to Ulaanbaatar so I understand that that was different time different system exactly now even some French ambassadors after their retirement leaving permanently in Ulaanbaatar yeah that that was actually to be my point the extraordinary change is one illustration and many of all the changes that occurred after the collapse of Mr. Fabius is very famous adequate for Mongolia Mongolia but not only Mr. Fabius I think that today Mongolia being discovered also but maybe for some in the room also that's the case so tell us a few words about Iran Iran I had a chance to visit Iran and that was really interesting during that time I became the only sitting president who visited the underground nuclear facility in Iran and during my visit I met the I tell a how many and when I tell a how many we shake it our hands and he told that you know we ran and people and myself is very grateful for Mongolia and obvious question why and he said you know during Mongolian domination in Persia Mongolia spilled first hospitals there first universities there first observatory there even first hospital for mentally ill people treating them by music and also Mongolia's made Shia religion main dominant religion during that time and I tell how many is regarded the head of the Shia religion and I visited the yeah many good places and people have that warm memory and because of that we have that relations and after my visit that was constant constant I actually started that Iran nuclear deal things agreement things and I think one thing I would like to say that Iran nuclear agreement is really important one today's American administration and Mr. Trump president Trump is making that little bit questionable if he make that is step if he makes that is step I think that gonna cost very highly that's the credibility issue you know if if America go out America board that deal I think one country going to be nuclear one power that's something we have to really worry about but beyond the cultural relations between Iran and Mongolia is really important and there are museums and libraries when I visit there some of the museums there are 60% of their artifacts related with the Ilhan time our kingdom during that time called Ilhan and those kind of relations is really interesting for us yeah listening to you by the way I have omitted something that I mentioned your studies in the former Soviet Union but you also were a student at the Kennedy School of Government no so that's a good balance and that explains to a large extent your knowledge of English so this being said in passing no on Iran I have one more question do you have a cultural historically links between Iran and Mongolia yes we have cultural historical links and we have under presence we have our some projects and studying our cultural and historical heritage is in Mongolia and Iran in Iran thank you you know I'm going to within just to take the few questions the remaining in the remaining minutes but I would also like to remind you for the our oldest friends who have attended the World Policy Conference since the first day that Mongolia has expressed an interest for the World Policy Conference ever since the beginning and former president Ingbajar has attended the first two of those then unfortunately was caught into troubles at home and you were his prime minister also for a while so I think it's interesting noticing because it shows and I have myself discovered actually the interest of Mongolia for the bigger perspective at this time that's why you are so happy to have you here World Policy Conference I think this is kind of the symphony of voices you know even some people say that why Mongolia why Mongolian former president is sitting here beauty of this scattering you know even you can came from Mongolia and you can have some kind of relations or some kind of irrelevance to this and bringing our perspective here this is really great opportunity and great place great platform and we have to maintain it and I think Mongolia really and myself is really committed to this great endeavor and purpose yeah thank you very much