Kyrgyzstan receives food, anti-pandemic aid from China

BISHKEK, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- An official handover ceremony of Chinese food and anti-pandemic assistance to Kyrgyzstan was held here on Wednesday.

The humanitarian aid, donated by China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is to assist the friendly Kyrgyz people in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, said a press release of the Chinese Embassy in Kyrgyzstan.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chinese Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Du Dewen noted that China and Kyrgyzstan have helped each other and cooperated sincerely in the fight against the epidemic, which has further deepened the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Kyrgyzstan's Minister of Health and Social Development Alymkadyr Beishenaliev and State Secretary of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Azamat Mambetov also attended the event.

On behalf of the government of Kyrgyzstan, the officials expressed gratitude to China for the assistance, noting that the anti-epidemic materials and vaccines have played an important role in promoting Kyrgyzstan's anti-epidemic efforts and mass vaccination campaign.

"At an important moment when Kyrgyzstan was hit by a drought and was struggling to fight the epidemic, China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region provided food and anti-epidemic material assistance in a timely manner, which once again demonstrated the profound brotherly friendship of the Chinese people to the Kyrgyz people," Beishenaliev said.