Kyrgyz president praises China ties

Kyrgyzstan is lucky to have the friendly neighbor of China and bilateral relations will grow further in the future, President Almazbek Atambayev said here Monday.

"I have always said that China is our kindly, friendly neighbor which is interested in stability in Kyrgyzstan and the development of our economy," he said in response to a Xinhua question at a yearend press conference.

Kyrgyzstan is lucky with such a neighbor, said the president, noting that the whole leadership of his country appreciates the relationship with China.

Thanks to the help of China, he added, the Central Asian country has in recent years made much progress in the development of such sectors as energy and transportation.

"I think that the bilateral relationship will only grow," said the president.