Since Mongolia’s democratization in the 1990s, USAID has been a major supporter of the country’s development. With USAID’s future in doubt, Ulaanbaatar is watching closely.
Jonathan Addleton, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Mongolia from 2009 to 2012, pointed to the outsized impact of USAID in Mongolia particularly. “I would maintain that both USAID and Mongolia have ‘punched well above their weight’ during the last two decades,” he told The Diplomat, pointing to Mongolia’s success “in applying foreign assistance from all sources to move a better place with respect to GDP, per capita income, and the amount of revenue generated internally to finance a ‘real’ budget as compared to the tiny national budgets of the 1990s.”
Commenting on the recent development, Michael Klecheski, who served as the U.S. ambassador to Mongolia during the first Trump administration, stated, “Curtailing U.S. assistance work throughout the world will have an impact on our international image, but I believe the U.S.-Mongolia relationship will remain strong, as we continue to have important shared interests.”
Klecheski added, “Given Mongolia’s geostrategic position, good ties with the U.S. and other ‘third neighbors’ are vital to it. And after all, when Trump was president last time, he had a terrific visit from Mongolia’s then-President Battulga Khaltmaa. I trust that remains significant to this White House.”
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