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Quick Facts

- There is no evidence to support the online rumors. The King of Bhutan recently paid a state visit to Mongolia, and there was no so-called "Memorandum of Understanding on Naval Cooperation" in the series of public documents signed by the two sides.

- Some landlocked countries have military presence on their major rivers and lakes (e.g. Azerbaijan, Central African Republic), but there is no reliable information on Bhutan and Mongolia having naval forces.

Background

Recently, a user posted on a social platform that on July 8, Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visited Mongolia at the invitation of Mongolian President Khurelsukh, and the two countries signed a "Memorandum of Understanding on Naval Cooperation" and attached a video.

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Where might the online rumors come from?

The source of the video circulating online cannot be found for the time being, but the hotel logo that appears in the video shows that the filming location should be the Shangri-La five-star hotel in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In addition, the clothes worn by the King and Queen of Bhutan in the video are consistent with the pictures released by Montsame on July 9, which reported that Amarbayas Gelen, Chairman of the State Great Khural of Mongolia, paid a visit to the King of Bhutan, Wangchuck, who was on a state visit to Mongolia. It can be seen that the video was indeed likely filmed during the King of Bhutan's visit to Mongolia.

Above: The hotel logo that appeared in the video circulated online

Below: Front view of the Shangri-La Hotel logo in Ulaanbaatar

Above: The King and Queen of Bhutan appear in the video circulating online

Below: Screenshot of Montsame’s report on July 9

According to official media reports from both countries, at the invitation of Mongolian President U Hunsoukh, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema of the Kingdom of Bhutan arrived in Mongolia on July 8 to begin a state visit to Mongolia. The report said, "During the visit, Mongolian President U Hunsoukh and King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of the Kingdom of Bhutan will hold an official meeting and jointly sign cooperation documents to expand the friendly relations between the two countries and strengthen the legal environment."

According to the Mongolian Presidential Press Office, during this state visit, the relevant departments and institutions of Mongolia and Bhutan signed the following documents: "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Culture", "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Plateau Animal Husbandry and Pasture Development", "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Education", "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Traditional Medicine", and "Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Television and Broadcasting between Mongolian National Public Television and Bhutan Broadcasting Corporation". Bhutan did not disclose more content, which shows that the "Memorandum of Understanding on Naval Cooperation" did not appear in the public documents of the two countries.

Some landlocked countries have military presence on their major rivers and lakes (e.g. Azerbaijan, Central African Republic).So do Bhutan and Mongolia have navies?

The 2023 update of the "World Factbook" published by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) shows that Bhutan's armed forces include the Royal Bhutan Army (including the Royal Guard and an air force wing), the National Militia, and the Royal Bhutan Police under the Ministry of Interior and National Culture. Bhutan has always relied on India for military training and weapons supply, including air defense. The Bhutan Armed Forces website is inaccessible, and there is no reliable information showing that Bhutan has a naval force.

In Mongolia, there is a claim that Mongolia has a navy of only seven people. After investigation, this view may come from a documentary produced by Litmus Films, The Mongolian Navy. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union presented Mongolia with a small ship Sukhbaatar for transporting oil. The Mongolian People's Army at that time formed a seven-man navy to escort the oil on the transportation route of Lake Khövsgöl.

Today, this nominal "navy" no longer exists. Montsame reported on November 22, 2021 that the early Sukhbaatar had sunk in 1985. According to information captured by the ship information website shipspotting in 2017, the Sukhbaatar currently used by Mongolia was built by a Russian shipyard in 1983 for sightseeing on Lake Khövsgöl.

According to the Mongolian Law provided by the Ministry of Defense of Mongolia, the Mongolian Armed Forces currently consist of ground forces, air forces, construction engineering forces, cyber security forces and special forces.

In summary, there is no evidence to support the online rumors. The King of Bhutan recently paid a state visit to Mongolia, and there is no so-called "Memorandum of Understanding on Naval Cooperation" in a series of public documents signed by the two sides. Some landlocked countries deploy troops on their major rivers and lakes (such as Azerbaijan and the Central African Republic), but there is currently no reliable information showing that Bhutan and Mongolia have established naval forces.