Senior Kyrgyz official hails solid relationship with China

Kyrgyzstan and China have successfully built a solid relationship that will continue to serve them well in the future, says Kyrgyz State Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbayev.

"Our two nations have established true good-neighborly and friendly relations based on mutual respect, equality and mutual trust" in the 17 years since they forged diplomatic ties in 1992, Sarbayev told Xinhua recently.

Kyrgyzstan and China have managed to resolve a border demarcation problem left over from history, and the issue is no longer a line of separation, but a bridge of friendship, he said.

Thanks to the mutual understanding and trust developed by the leaders of both countries, there are no impediments to cooperation and the development of sound ties between the two countries, the minister said.

In addition to Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's visit to China in 2006 and Chinese President Hu Jintao's trip to Kyrgyzstan in 2007, the two countries also have held meetings at different levels within the framework of international organizations, Sarbayev said.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in particular has provided a platform for their talks, he said.

Efforts to guarantee regional security and stability have been the top priority of the SCO, Sarbayev said.

Terrorism, extremism and separatism pose serious threats to all Central Asian countries, and efforts to combat the three forces have become a focus of bilateral cooperation within the SCO framework, he said.

Sarbayev said the constantly increasing trade volume between China and Kyrgyzstan has born witness to the rapid progress of their relations.

Kyrgyzstan is now China's third largest trade partner within the Commonwealth of Independent States, only after Russia and Kazakhstan, he said.

Joint projects are currently underway in many key sectors, such as transportation, communications, mining, agriculture and construction, the minister said.

In addition, Sarbayev said, many middle school and college students in Kyrgyzstan go to study in China, and two Confucius Institutes have been set up in his country.

Source: Xinhua