Welcome
The MBCC is a not-for-profit membership organisation established in 2009 to foster strong business links between Mongolia and the UK. It aims to provide a professional and social environment for business people who wish to be introduced to, and become part of, the British-Mongolian business culture and community.
British Ambassador Philip Malone gave an interview to Mongolian publication reflecting on his first year in office
You have been working in Mongolia almost a year. What was your first impression?
I’ve spent lot of time in Southeast Asia. I have completed three overseas postings in Singapore and Brunei and I was Ambassador to Laos. So, a lot of experience in Southeast Asia.
The biggest surprise for me was that Mongolia was less Asian than I was expecting and has more of an Eastern European feel to it, if that makes sense.
Given Mongolian geography and history, I was expecting it to be more Asian. But what I like is that mixture of European culture and Asian culture which I find makes working here quite straightforward, because I find Mongolians very easy to work with, to engage with and very straight forward. I think that makes doing our work much easier.
Then another wonderful thing is the amount of sunshine here. I really appreciate it. Obviously everyone knows that Mongolia is very cold in the winter time. But not many people actually say well there is lots of sunshine and in the summer it’s beautiful. So that was a really nice surprise.
You mentioned that Mongolia is a kind of mixture between European culture and Asian culture. Is it bad or good for us? Mongolians are blamed about losing their nomadic lifestyle year by year. Please share your opinion?
I think it’s a good thing that Mongolia has this sort of dual heritage. If you look at the long-term history of Mongolia going back to the days of Chinggis Khan when the Mongol empire stretched right across Asia and Eurasia, it makes sense there is that mixture. I think it is also means that Mongolians tend to be outward looking, they’re very familiar, very curious or interested in what’s happening around the world. I’m always struck that even when travelling through the countryside, how much people know about the UK and Europe and what’s happening in the world.
So I think it’s a good thing. It means it helps Mongolia to be outward looking. Especially given Mongolia sits between two very large neighbours and Mongolia continues to develop its relationships with the so-called third neighbours.