Kathmandu, Jan. 4 :  At the invitation of Their Majesties King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Queen Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah, President of Mongolia Natsagiin Bagabandi and Madame A Oyunbileg are arriving here tomorrow on a three-day state visit to the Kingdom of Nepal from January 5 to 7, 2001.

Their Majesties the King and Queen will receive the distinguished guests amidst a special ceremony at the VVIP Lounge of Tribhuvan International Airport.

The same evening, Their Majesties the King and Queen will host a state banquet in honour of the distinguished guests at the Narayanhity Royal Palace.

Earlier, Their Majesties will receive the President and Madame A Oyunbileg in audience.

Their Majesties the King and Queen together with the President and Madame A Oyunbileg will fly to Lumbini on January 6.

The Mongolian President will also lay a wreath at the Martyrs’ Memorial.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Minister for Foreign Affairs Chakra Prasad Bastola and leader of the opposition party in the House of Representatives Madhav Kumar Nepal will call on the President at Narayanhity Royal Palace.

President Bagabandi and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala will hold official talks at the Prime Minister’s office, Singha Durbar on January 6.

Later the same evening, Prime Minister Koirala will host an official dinner in honour of the Mongolian President and Madame A Oyunbileg at the state hall, Singha Durbar.

President Bagabandi and Madame A Oyunbileg will be accorded a civic reception on behalf of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

Other programmes include visits to the peace-keeping training centre at Panchkhal, Hanuman Dhoka Royal Palace, Patan Durbar Square and Swayambhunath.

On completion of the state visit, the Mongolian President and Madame A Oyunbileg will depart from Kathmandu on January 7, 2001.

President of Mongolia Natsagiin Bagabandi was born in Zavhan province, Yaruu Soum on April 12, 1950.

President Bagabandi finished secondary school in Uliastai in Zavhan province in 1968 and graduated from the Refrigeration School in Leningrad in the then Soviet Union in 1972.

He graduated from the Institute of Food and Technology in Odessa, Soviet Union in 1980 and from the Academy of Social Science, Moscow in 1987.

He has been accorded Honorary Doctorates from the Food and Technology Academy of Odessa, the University of Alma-Ati in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the University of Ankara, Turkey, the University of Senshsu, Japan and the Academy of Administration, Mongolia.

He started his political life as head of division of the committee of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP), Tov province from 1980 to 1984.

He also served as Lector, Head of Division, Councellor of Division, central committee of the MPRP from 1987-1990, and Secretary, Deputy Chairman of the central committee of the MPRP from 1990-1992.

He was elected a member of the State Great Khural of Mongolia in 1992 and was speaker of the State Great Khural from 1992-96.

In 1996 he was re-elected a member of the State Great Khural and was head of group of the MPRP in the State Great Khural from 1996-97.

He was chairman of the MPRP from February to May in 1997. On May 18, 1997 he was elected President of Mongolia, with over 60 per cent of all the people of Mongolia voting for him.

Mr Bagabandi is not only a prominent politician and administrator but also a successful writer.

He has published about a dozen volumes including essays. His works include ‘Formation of Common Sense of Mongolian Herders’ and ‘Mongolian Personality’.

He has greatly contributed to the implementation of the democratric changes and reforms which began at the end of the 1980’s.