China, Kyrgyzstan to strengthen military ties

BEIJING - China and Kyrgyzstan pledged on Monday to strengthen military ties following a meeting between Defense Minister Liang Guanglie and Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Defense Omuraliev Taalaibek.

The pledge came out of a talk held between the two senior military officials as part of Taalaibek's ongoing official China visit. Taalaibek is in China to attend a meeting of military chiefs organized by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Liang said relations between China and Kyrgyzstan have featured frequent high-level exchanges and deepened political mutual trust since the two sides forged diplomatic ties 20 years ago.

China and Kyrgyzstan have seen gratifying results from cooperation in the areas of trade and cultural exchanges under the framework of the SCO, Liang said.

Liang said China and Kyrgyzstan share similar stances on many significant international and regional issues, adding that bilateral military ties have maintained healthy and stable development in recent years.

He also expressed China's willingness to work with Kyrgyzstan to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between the militaries of both nations.

Taalaibek thanked China for its support and assistance in Kyrgyzstan's efforts to develop its military and national defense. Kyrgyzstan is willing to promote cooperation between the two armies to a higher level in order to maintain regional peace and stability, he said.