MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Moscow is grateful to Kyrgyzstan for promoting Russian language programs at Kyrgyz schools, President Vladimir Putin told his Kyrgyz counterpart Sadyr Zhaparov.
"We pay due attention to the humanitarian component of our cooperation, and first of all, we are talking about education. There are 204 teachers from Russia working in 43 schools," Putin said.
"Plans are to increase the number of schools teaching in Russian. I would like to note and thank you for the fact that the Russian language has been given a special status in Kyrgyzstan. This allows us to work more efficiently in several other areas, including in the economic sphere."
Putin noted the great cooperation between Moscow and Bishkek and added that "there are certainly enough issues [for discussion] with such packed relations. I am very glad to see you and your delegation."
Russian is designated as an official language in Kyrgyzstan. It is used for interethnic communication.