Russia, US interested in supporting Kyrgyzstan’s people

President Obama today said there has been “excellent coordination” between the US and Russia on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the region, and that they continue to monitor the situation “very carefully.”

In a joint statement following a meeting at the White House between US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev, who is on a visit to the United States, the parties released a joint note expressing their “common interest” in supporting the people of Kyrgyzstan and restoring democracy and stability after the April 7 circumstances in the country.

“One of the things that we discussed is creating a mechanism so that the international community can ensure that we have a peaceful resolution of the situation there and that any actions that are taken to protect civilians are done so not under the flag of any particular country, but that the international community is stepping in,” Obama is quoting as saying. “And so our teams will be in continuing discussions in the weeks ahead as we monitor the situation as it unfolds.”

“We call for the use of nonviolent political methods of resolving the current problems, for a rapid restoration of public order, civic peace and interethnic understanding. We support a coordinated multilateral response to this crisis and support the United Nations and other multilateral organizations, neighbors, and friends of Kyrgyzstan in their efforts to assist in the normalization of the situation in the country, including providing humanitarian aid,” said in the joint statement,

“We intend to continue our joint efforts with Kyrgyzstan, to combat threats from narcotics trafficking and terrorism and work together to promote economic development of a stable Kyrgyzstan,” the statement says.

Obama and Medvedev also offered their condolences to families and friends of those who were killed in the ethnic clashes in the south of Kyrgyzstan.