In a telephone conversation with Mr Akayev, Mr Putin congratulated him on his convincing victory in the presidential election held on October 29 and wished him every success in that important post.
On the same day, Mr Putin sent a message to Mr Akayev.
The message said, in part:
“We highly value your contribution to the strengthening of relations of friendship and strategic partnership between Russia and Kyrgyzstan and the deepening of integration within the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Eurasian Economic Community.
“I am sure that the multi-faceted and mutually beneficial Russian-Kyrgyz cooperation, whose possibilities and prospects we discussed recently in Moscow and Bishkek, will grow in the spirit of mutual understanding that marks our bilateral relations and in the interest of closer contacts between our fraternal peoples.”