President Hu Jintao met with Kyrgyz parliament speaker Marat Sultanov on Wednesday and voiced support for closer cooperation between the legislatures of the two countries.

 

"We support legislative bodies of the two countries to enhance multi-level and multi-channel friendly exchanges and cooperation, and exchange experience in such specific areas as legislation perfection and administrative supervision," Hu told Sultanov, Speaker of the Kyrgyz Supreme Council.

 

The Chinese president praised the current relations between the legislatures of the two countries and believed they would promote mutual understanding and the friendship between the two peoples and make greater contribution to the good neighborly relationship and friendly cooperation between the two countries.

 

China is keen to develop relations with Kyrgyzstan as the two countries are traditional and friendly neighbors, Hu told Sultanov, adding that for years, China has provided sincere support and assistance for Kyrgyzstan in a persistent and firm manner within bilateral and multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

 

"No matter how the international situation changes, China will, as always, support Kyrgyzstan's effort to preserve its national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, to develop its economy and to unswervingly push forward the Sino-Kyrgyz good-neighborly and cooperative ties," Hu said.

 

For his part, Sultanov hailed the Kyrgyz-Chinese friendship andChina's achievement in its national development, saying it is very important for Kyrgyzstan to reinforce cooperation with China, and to learn from China's experience in development.

 

He said his country is eager to expand cooperation with China in such fields as trade and investment and pledged that the Kyrgyz parliament will join hands with the National People's Congress of China to push forward the relations between the two countries.

 

e also vowed that the Kyrgyz parliament will persistently and firmly support China's stance on the Taiwan issue, which Hu appreciated.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2007)