U.S. Secretary of State assures that attitude of USA to Kyrgyzstan not to change
The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has assured that the attitude of the United States to Kyrgyzstan would not change. He said it today at the opening ceremony of a new building of the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek.
"We have common interests and concerns. We know that the United States is one of the first countries which recognized the independence of the Kyrgyz Republic. I can hardly believe that 24 years have already passed. Since then, we constantly support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country. And our position will not change," John Kerry said.
"Our relations have been expanding in course of time, covering more and more areas - security, economy, energy, environment, education and so on. All of this helps us to better know and understand each other. The number of diplomats has also increased. The Embassy began its work having a few people, and now there are more than 300 employees, most of whom are the Kyrgyz citizens. We - I, the President Obama and the Americans - are very grateful to you for you work with us," he said.
"I am pleased to be here in a great, beautiful country. It may seem to you somehow insulting that I am here for a very short period of time. I hope, God willing, when countries such as Syria, Yemen resolve their problems, we will have more time to travel. Our relations are very important, that is why I wanted to come to the Kyrgyz Republic," the Secretary of State added.
John Kerry stressed that the new building of the Embassy meets all the requirements of the 21st century and "symbolizes the partnership and the depth of bilateral relations." "We are proud of this building. It is an excellent example of clean technologies, and it gained a silver medal in environment-oriented design. This is an example for the entire region," he concluded.
John Kerry's visit to Bishkek is a part of his Central Asia tour.