Mongolia’s Ambassador to the United States has just finished a one-week diplomatic tour of Texas. And in true diplomatic style, he has told his hosts that he felt comfortable being among cowboys, whether from Mongolia or Texas.  

On a more serious note, Ambassador Ravdan Bold sought to expand both economic and cultural ties with institutions in America’s second largest state during his visit. 

On June 25, Ambassador Bold had the honor of being the first diplomat to congratulate newly sworn-in Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. On June 26, he met with city officials in Irving, a sister city of Mongolia’s Darkhan. 

On June 27, Bold met with former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker at the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Ft. Worth to review foreign policy issues. 

In past statements, Bold has labeled the United States as his country’s “third neighbor,” referring to the strong support Mongolia has on Capitol Hill. 

"Our whole foreign policy is based on the third-neighbor policy," he recently told The Dallas Morning News. "We're trying to build a comprehensive relationship with the United States, but it's not to the level of our relationship with China. We're trying to make this bilateral relationship with the U.S. stronger and stronger." 

From 1991 through 2005 Mongolia received some $150 million in U.S. grants. 

Additionally, 800 Mongolian students are currently studying in the United States and Ambassador Bold hopes that number will become far larger in the future.  

Mr. Bold also hopes to see more bilateral programs, such as the model legal program sponsored by Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth. Legal scholars and judges from the United States and Mongolia have had continuing face-to-face dialogue about creating a strong, independent judiciary in Mongolia as a result of this program. 

Lastly, Mr. Bold noted that in 1991 English replaced Russian as the mandatory second language taught in Mongolian public schools.

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