May 25, 2009 Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said that his country’s ties with Turkey should be improved to strengthen trade and allow greater cooperation on strategic issues, Today’s Zaman reported May 25. Bakiyev added that Turkey helped Kyrgyzstan after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Bakiyev’s remarks came ahead of Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit on May 26, the first Turkish presidential visit since 2001. Gul visited Kyrgyzstan in 2005 when he was Turkey’s foreign minister.
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