Vladimir Putin invited to join an expedition.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited Mongolia yesterday. During the visit a $7 billion contract to develop Mongolian railways was signed. However, as he confided to our special correspondent, ANDREI KOLESNIKOV, he would have preferred to return to Russia not by train or even by plane, but riding a horse or a camel across Altai and Kalmykia.
The road from the airport to the Mongol capital Ulan-Bator was lined with Mongolian policemen in white gloves who stood at intervals of 200 metres. They had their backs to the Russian Prime Minister's motorcade facing an external threat.
I have a hunch that when Vladimir Putin told his opposite number, Mongolian Prime Minister Sanjaagiin Bayar (which translates as "happiness"), at the start of their one-on-one talks that "when driving from the airport" he, Vladimir Putin, saw the friendly reaction of ordinary Mongolians, he was not referring to the policemen.
"They had smiles on their faces," Vladimir Putin said.
Mongolian policemen may also have had smiles on their faces, that cannot be ruled out, but their job - spotting a threat to the motorcade in the sands on either side of the road - could hardly provoke a smile. Of course the roads around Moscow are similarly sealed off when such motorcades drive past, but our policemen at least hide themselves behind roadside trees. Here the Mongolians scattered along the road were in full view making wayfarers feel as protected as the Russians felt in the times when such concern for security had another name, "the Mongolian Yoke".
The talks between Vladimir Putin and the Mongolian Prime Minister, who speaks Russian as well as his President who speaks Russian at least as well as most Russians, were crowned with the signing of several documents. The head of RZD, Vladimir Yakunin, and his Mongolian counterpart signed a document on the development of Mongolian railways to bring them to the country's main coalfield. Vladimir Yakunin put the cost of the project at $7 billion (that includes the cost of the license for developing the field: Mongolia contributes the licenses and RZD an equivalent amount of money).
The documents were signed in a tense atmosphere aggravated by the decorations of the hall, which was lined with several metres high tridents topped by time-warn scalps over rich, gold-embroidered helmets. One couldn't help feeling that the scalps had belonged to those who were too persistent in pushing their terms of agreements.
A quarter of an hour later Vladimir Putin was received by Mongolian President Nambaryn Enghbayar (which translates as "great happiness") on the fifth floor of the presidential palace. The actual meeting took place in a nomadic tent (yurt) pitched in the middle of a spacious marble hall.
It was a bona fide yurt: inside were all sorts of jars, bowls and balalaikas hanging on the walls. The decorative character of the yurt was betrayed by a crystal chandelier (looking as if it had just been brought from the Grand Kremlin Palace) and a huge portrait of Genghis Khan in exactly the same kind of chair in which the Russian Prime Minister and the Mongolian President were sitting.
It was symptomatic of the current political situation that the President of Mongolia sat on the edge of his chair while Vladimir Putin sat back in exactly the same pose as Genghis Khan in the painting: firmly planting his feet on the floor, his hands comfortably on the armrests.
For most of the time Vladimir Putin was as mysteriously silent as Genghis Khan in the painting. By contrast, the Mongolian President was very voluble. Among his proposals was the proposal to increase the number of border-crossing points between Russia and Mongolia so that "the citizens of our countries could freely cross the border".
Apparently, in this context "freely" meant "without queues".
In the street outside Vladimir Putin was greeted by a caravan headed by the explorer Fyodor Konyukhov, who was about to embark on an expedition along the Great Silk Road from Mongolia via Altai to Kalmykia.
Fyodor Konyukhov invited the Russian Prime Minister to join the expedition promising to get him the best camel or horse, whichever he preferred. Vladimir Putin was interested in Fyodor Konyukhov's proposal. "I crossed the Atlantic 17 times," Mr Konyukhov said.
"Seventeen?" Mr Putin looked mistrustful.
"And I travelled six times around the world," Fyodor Konyukhov added. "It's the distance to the Moon."
"Single-handed?" the Prime Minister sounded even more mistrustful.
"Of course," the explorer replied looking the Prime Minister straight in the eye.
"He cut out his appendix himself," President of Kalmykia Kirsan Ilyumzhinov sounded as proud as if it was he, and not Fyodor Konyukhov, who had operated himself for appendicitis.
In conclusion Fyodor Konyukhov shared with Vladimir Putin and Mongolian Prime Minister his opinion that "Mongolia is very much like Russia".
"In what way?" Mr Putin inquired.
Indeed, it would have been easier to find differences than similarities.
"Wide spaces and hospitality," Fyodor Konyukhov shared his observations. "Here you enter a yurt without keys, they simply don't exist."
One wonders how Fyodor Konyukhov can enter Russians apartments without keys. But that may be his main secret.
In the evening, before flying to Moscow, I asked Vladimir Putin whether he was really going to join Fyodor Konyukhov's Great Silk Road expedition, as Fyodor Konyukhov firmly believes.
"The draft animals I have (an apparent reference to his horse called Vadik - A.K.) can hardly carry such a load, the Prime Minister admitted. But actually I would be interested. I really would."
"Especially since he invites you to join him in Altai where you can combine business and pleasure, I suggested. (One of the state residences, where Mr Putin relaxed more than once, is on Altai - A.K.)
"It can be Altai or it can be some other place, the Prime Minister shrugged. How long is the road? Just 6 km?"
"It's peanuts compared with the distance we have flown over the last three days."
"Yes, but we have flown it. But covering it on horseback..." Vladimir Putin sighed.
Of course he could ride a camel. He would be back home just in time for the next election.