In honour of the 15th anniversary of relations established between Monaco and Mongolia, the President of Mongolia, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, on a state visit to France, personally presented the Friendship medal to Monaco’s Honorary Consul of Mongolia Elisabeth Gondeau and Jérôme Magail, Researcher at the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology of Monaco and head of the Monaco-Mongolia archaeological mission.
The ceremony took place on 13th October in Paris, in the presence of Ulambayar Nyamkhuu, Ambassador of Mongolia to France and Monaco.
15 years ago in 2008, during Prince Albert II’s official visit to Mongolia, an agreement was signed between the two countries, initiating the implementation of numerous projects led by the Cooperation Directorate International and the Museum of Prehistoric Anthropology through the Joint Archaeological Mission.
Two major events marked these years of cooperation. The first was the inauguration in 2014 of a Research and Exhibition Centre in the Upper Tamir Valley, close to the archaeological excavation site of Tsatsyn Ereg, 500km from the capital Ulan Bator. Thanks to Monaco’s contribution, this building, equipped with an autonomous ecological system running on solar energy, welcomes Mongolian students every summer.
The second was the classification of the Upper Tamir Valley as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023, the study of which has been entrusted to a joint archaeological mission since 2008.
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Photo caption: Elisabeth Gondeau and Jérôme Magail in front of the portrait of Genghis Khan, first Mongolian emperor (12th century). Source: Government Communication Department