Kyrgyzstan awards top medal to President Xi Jinping

Chinese President Xi Jinping was on Thursday conferred with the highest national award of Kyrgyzstan, which is hosting the 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov awarded his Chinese counterpart (Xi Jinping) the Manas Order of the First Degree, the country's highest national prize, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi, along with other leaders of the group including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is in the Kyrgyz capital to attend the two-day Summit beginning Thursday.

Speaking at a ceremony to confer the national honour on Xi, Jeenbekov said he appreciates Xi's special contributions to the development of the Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

He said his country will never forget China's long-running support and assistance. He also said that he believes that Xi's visit this time will open up a new chapter of bilateral ties between the two countries.

In response, Xi said the medal has fully demonstrated the Kyrgyz people's profound friendship towards the Chinese people, adding that he values it very much.

Xi said he is ready to join hands with Jeenbekov to deepen the traditional friendship of the two countries, and to push forward the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership for new achievements, so as to better benefit the two peoples.

The Chinese president arrived here Wednesday for a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and to take part in the SCO summit.

China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are the founding members of the SCO, in which China plays an influential role. India and Pakistan were admitted to the Beijing-based regional security grouping in 2017.