Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced he will meet with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Sadyr Japarov, in the resort city of Sochi on May 24.
Speaking at a ceremony to receive credentials from incoming foreign ambassadors on May 18, Putin said that despite "successful" cooperation in several areas, the two sides will seek to strengthen strategic partnership and allied relations.
It will be the second meeting between the two leaders this year.
Japarov's first presidential trip after being elected in January was to Moscow in February, where he discussed bilateral ties with Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, and other top Russian officials.
In March, the two presidents launched the Jerooy gold refining plant, a mine operated by Russia's Alliance Group. Jerooy is Kyrgyzstan's second-largest gold deposit, holding nearly 90 tons of gold and 25 tons of silver, with annual gold output eventually reaching 5.5 tons.
Gold and other natural resources are a lynchpin of the Central Asian state's weak economy, which sends hundreds of thousands of migrant workers to Russia each year.
