Mongolia, US to sign 'Open Skies' deal ahead of talks -Harris, PM

The United States and Mongolia will sign an "Open Skies" civil aviation agreement, Vice President Kamala Harris and Mongolian Prime Minister L. Oyun-Erdene said on Wednesday at the start of discussions focused on Russia, China and economic development. Their meeting in Washington on Wednesday came as the Biden administration works to ease tensions with strategic competitor China and as U.S. relations with Russia show no sign of thawing as the Ukraine war grinds on. Harris underscored the administration's commitment to strengthening ties with Mongolia and other nations in the Indo-Pacific, with a big focus on combating the climate crisis, upholding democracies and human rights, and addressing threats to the international rules-based order. "The American people have a profound stake in the future of the Indo-Pacific," Harris said, noting that she and President Joe Biden had each traveled there three times since taking office. "It is in our vital interest to promote an Indo-Pacific region that is open, interconnected, prosperous, secure and resilient." Surrounded by Russia in the north and China in the south, Mongolia has cultivated allies -- such as Japan, South Korea and the United States -- in a diplomatic strategy aimed at reinforcing its political independence, but its economy has continued to rely heavily on its two giant neighbors. Washington has Open Skies civil aviation agreements with more than 130 countries. They grant airlines from both countries the right to operate in each other's countries, liberalize airline regulation and impose safety and security standards.<br/>