Mongolia to get $285 million in U.S. aid

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- The United States has strengthened ties with Mongolia by awarding it a $285 million aid package, The Washington Times reported Tuesday.

In a White House signing ceremony Monday, President George W. Bush credited Mongolian president Nambaryn Enkhbayar with "defeating extremists by helping young democracies survive and thrive."

Mongolia, a former Communist state, is the first Asian nation to qualify for aid from Bush's Millennium Challenge program, which has awarded aid to 14 other countries deemed by the White House to be advancing democracy in the world, the Times reported.

Bush in 2005 became the first sitting president to visit Mongolia, located between Russia and China, prompting Enkhbayar to refer to the United States as Mongolia's "third neighbor."

Mongolia has seen a series of peaceful transfers of power though corruption remains a major problem, the Times reported.