MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. Mongolia will be able to use part of its energy resources when it helps to transit Russian natural gas to China and such opportunity is currently under discussions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Mongolia’s Onoodor daily.

"While initially our Mongolian partners preferred to limit themselves to being just a transit country, now they are considering using some of the cheap pipeline gas to support the development of their economy and infrastructure," Putin said.

"Over the recent years, all Mongolian presidents, regardless of their party affiliation, have raised during negotiations the issue of building a main gas pipeline from Russia to China through Mongolia," the Russian president continued. "In 2021 it was decided to embark on preparatory work."

"A specialized joint company, Soyuz Vostok Gas Pipeline, was established, which is carrying out design and exploration works in line with the approved schedule," Putin noted. "Work continues on the design of the Soyuz Vostok gas pipeline stretching over 960 kilometers: in January 2022, a feasibility study for this project was approved, the necessary engineering surveys and studies were carried out, and in late December 2023, the project documentation was finalized."

The Russian president also stated: "As you know, the initiative to create the Russia-Mongolia-China Economic Corridor was initially put forward by the leadership of your country as part of the Mongolian Steppe Road Initiative implementation."

"Among the achievements, I can refer to the fact that over the past ten years, the freight traffic on the Ulaanbaatar Railway increased by half to reach a record figure 32.4 million tons in 2023," he said. "Transit container cargo transportation between Russia and China through the territory of Mongolia has also increased significantly."

Putin also said that Moscow and Ulaanbaatar were currently in work on an intergovernmental agreement regarding supplies of fuel and lubricants to Mongolia at preferential prices.

"We always respond to our Mongolian friends’ requests for assistance in meeting the growing needs for fuel and lubricants at preferential prices," Putin said. "Work is underway to finalize a corresponding intergovernmental agreement."

"In recent years, we have been working on a number of new promising economic and industrial projects, including the construction of the Trans-Mongolian gas pipeline connecting Russia and China, works to modernise and increase the performance of the Ulaanbaatar Railway joint venture, the Rosneft Corporation’s fuel supplies for the fuelling complex at the new Chinggis Khaan international airport, and the renovation of TPP-3 in Ulaanbaatar with the participation of INER RAO - Export," he added.