Siberian Celebrations in Mongolian Land

“The history of our relations”, said President of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences B. Chadraa, “knows no other occasion which would simultaneously attract so many Russian Academicians, doctors, and professors to Mongolia. This was a get-together of old friends, former members of joint Soviet-Mongolian expeditions. They did not lack topics for discussion and recollection”.

The general meeting was held in a camping in the country. Discussion focused on continuing co-operation between the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS) and SB RAS including further development of archaeological works and paleoclimate investigations on Lake Khubsugul, as well as Mongolian, Buddhist, and Tibetan studies. A separate subject for speculation was participation of the parties in the new joint projects held under the auspices of the Association of Academies of Sciences in Asia: “Problems of Desertification in Central Asia” and “Sustainable Development in Asia: Power Engineering, Natural and Human Resources, Culture and Social Environment”. In the interval between the sessions, SB RAS President Academician N. Dobretsov handed to MAS President B. Chadraa a collection of Science First Hand journals, drawing his colleague’s attention to the issue dedicated to Chinggis Khan, which may be of special interest to Mongolian readers.

On the following day, a grand meeting dedicated to the 50th anniversary of SB RAS and conference “Achievements and Prospects of Mongolian-Russian Research Co-operation” were held in the Russian Center of Science and Culture. MAS President Academician B. Chadraa gave a speech of welcome, after which a warm greeting followed made by the Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in Mongolia B. Govorin, who had only recently been the Governor of the Irkutsk oblast. Academician N. Dobretsov gave a dynamic and clear summary of many years of joint creative work and expressed confidence in its further development. To the applause of the audience, Nikolay Dobretsov handed to B. Chadraa and B. Govorin the SB RAS honorary badges called the “Gold Sigma”. The conference included presentations by geologists, biologists, ecologists, and archaeologists. An interesting presentation “Desertification in Central Asia and Periodicity of Global Changes in the Quaternary period” was made by N. Dobretsov. In the foyer, SB RAS Anniversary Exhibition and the Exhibition of Books written by Siberian researchers were open; the books were presented to the Mongolian Academy of Sciences. On the same day Russian researchers had a talk with the Speaker of the State Great Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia D. Lundeejantsan. Crowning the day was the reception organized by the MAS Presidium.

On October 23, members of the Russian delegation visited research institutes in line with their interests. I am pleased to say that the conference hall of the Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources was bursting with the Institute’s workers and geology students. Presentations were made by Academician M. Kuzmin, RAS Corresponding Member I. Gordienko, and Doctors of Geology and Mineralogy A. Mironov and V. Antipin. The meeting turned into a scientific mini-session with questions, answers, and discussions. Similar meetings were held at other research institutes of the Mongolian capital.

The Irkutsk team returned home not only with the light burden of pleasant memories but also with the researcher of the MAS Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources Ms Ts. Narantsetseg, who was Academician’s Kuzmin post-graduate. On the first day in November she was awarded the degree of the candidate of geology and mineralogy.