Kyrgyzstan to deepen ties with China, says new president

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Kyrgyzstan will deepen relations with China in the spirit of good neighborliness and strategic partnership, the new President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said Friday.

The president made the remarks during his inauguration ceremony after winning 54.77 percent of votes in the October 15 presidential election.

During the ceremony, the chairwoman of the Central Election Commission Nurzhan Shaildabekova handed Jeenbekov a certificate, a badge and a standard of the president.

Further, Jeenbekov swore an oath to the people on the country's constitution and delivered an inaugural speech.

"Relations with the People's Republic of China will deepen in the spirit of good neighborliness and strategic partnership," Jeenbekov said in his speech.

During the speech, Jeenbekov said that the Central Asian country's main directions in foreign policy, as before, would be the protection of national interests and the creation of favorable external conditions for the country's sustainable social and economic development.

He also noted that Kyrgyzstan will continue to actively participate in international affairs and integration processes through international organizations and regional structures including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Some 450 people were invited to the inauguration ceremony, including representatives of the public, artists and scientists, members of parliament, members of the government, members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of international organizations.

Kyrgyz President-elect Sooronbai Jeenbekov (L) shakes hands with former President Almazbek Atambayev during an inauguration ceremony at the Ala-Archa state residence outside Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan November 24, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Jeenbekov scored 54 percent of the October 15 ballot viewed as Kyrgyzstan's most competitive election since independence, with oligarch opponent Omurbek Babanov taking more than a third of votes cast.

Kyrgyz authorities earlier this month pressed ahead with a criminal case against Babanov over remarks he made in a neighborhood inhabited by an ethnic minority during a bitter electoral campaign.

The 47-year-old former oil trader, who, like Jeenbekov, served as a prime minister during Atambayev's tenure, resigned his position as head of the parliament's second largest party earlier this month.

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Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency