Mongolia is a landlocked country located between China and Russia. It is geopolitically significant thanks to its wealth of mineral resources. Swiss–Mongolian trade volume is modest, while the number of Swiss tourists is on the rise.
Bilateral relations Switzerland–Mongolia
Key aspects of diplomatic relations
Switzerland and Mongolia have maintained diplomatic relations since 1964. Their bilateral cooperation has grown stronger since Mongolia's democratisation in the 1990s, with political consultations taking place every other year since 2008.
The Swiss embassy in Beijing is responsible for diplomatic relations with Mongolia. From 2004 to 2024, Switzerland ran an SDC cooperation office in Ulaanbaatar. Since 2024, an honorary consul has been representing Switzerland in Mongolia.
Economic cooperation
Despite the country's transition from a socialist to market economy, begun in 1990, its economic ties and trade volume with Switzerland remain limited. There has been a slight increase in trade since 2009.
Swiss exports reflect the major Swiss export sectors, while 90% of imports from Mongolia are raw materials. Mongolia is becoming an increasingly important supplier of gold, copper, coal and uranium, and investing in large-scale mining projects.
Declaration on cooperation, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
Cooperation in education, research and innovation
Researchers and artists who are citizens of Mongolia can apply to the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for Foreign Scholars and Artists (SERI)
International cooperation and humanitarian aid
From 2001 to 2024, Switzerland ran a programme in Mongolia that focused initially on humanitarian aid, then on development cooperation.
The SDC cooperation programmes in Mongolia focused on three main areas:
- agriculture, food security, climate change and the environment
- inclusive economic development and vocational education and training
- good governance, civic engagement and gender equality
The cooperation office in Ulaanbaatar closed in 2024, but Switzerland remains engaged in the country through other forms of bilateral cooperation. The Swiss embassy in Beijing continues to safeguard Swiss interests in Mongolia.
Swiss nationals in Mongolia
According to the statistics on the Swiss abroad, 22 Swiss citizens were living in Mongolia at the end of 2024.
History of bilateral relations
Relations between Switzerland and Mongolia date back to the second half of the 1950s, when the first Swiss companies started trading with the country. Switzerland, the first non-socialist trading partner of this Asian state, officially recognised the Mongolian People's Republic on 20 May 1964. Until the end of the socialist period, however, trade between Bern and Ulaanbaatar stayed at low levels.
In 2024, Switzerland and Mongolia celebrated the 60th anniversary of their bilateral relations, which served as the occasion for then-president Viola Amherd to pay the first ever Swiss presidential visit to Mongolia.
