Kathmandu, 8 January: The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) and the Mongolian Mountaineering Association (MMA) signed an agreement Saturday to launch joint expeditions to scale one peak each in Mongolia and Nepal this year. The expedition will attempt to climb the virgin peak Altai Twan Bogd (height unknown) in Mongolia in June this year, while another expedition will attempt to scale a 8000 metre high peak in Nepal in autumn, the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) said. The Nepal peak to be scaled has not been selected as yet.

The presidents of the two associations Tashi Jangbu Sherpa of NMA and R. Zoring of MMA signed an agreement Saturday to launch the expeditions. The NMA has helped an all-women Mongolian expedition scale the 5844 metres high Naya Kanga in 1994 after a co-operation agreement was signed between NMA and MMA in 1993. Nepalnews.com/br/at