Trust between Kyrgyzstan, China creates ‘fertile ground’ to expand cooperation: President Japarov

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Kyrgyzstan’s president on Wednesday said that mutual trust between his country and China has created a “fertile ground” for the expansion and development of bilateral cooperation.

“A high level of political mutual trust creates fertile ground for expanding and building up trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation,” said a statement by the Kyrgyz Presidency following a meeting between Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang in Bishkek.

The statement said that Japarov and Li exchanged views on a wide range of issues of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and China, noting that the Kyrgyz president underlined his satisfaction with the intensification of bilateral ties in recent years.

Japarov further placed special emphasis on trade and economic cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and China, indicating that Beijing has been and continues to be one of the main trade and investment partners for Bishkek, the statement further said.

“In particular, President Sadyr Japarov noted the large and main Kyrgyz-Chinese joint project for today — the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, which will become an important link in strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the transport and logistics sector,” the statement said, adding that cooperation in the field of energy also seemed “very promising.”