AKIPRESS.COM - President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev met on Sunday with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who arrived in Bishkek on a working visit.

Speaking to the media at a press conference, alongside the President, Mr. Guterres hailed the country's efforts for democracy, rule of law and protection of human rights, as well as a vibrant and active civil society, UN news centre reported.

“I am also sure that Kyrgyzstan will play a very important role in what I hope will be future developments in Central Asia for better cooperation, better integration among the different countries and peoples of [the region] to guarantee its prosperity and its development,” he said.

Also today, Mr. Guterres took part in the commemoration of the June 2010 events in Osh, where he laid a wreath at the Mother's Tears monument and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims as well as solidarity with the people of Osh, of Jalal-abad and all other places where the violence broke out.

“The Mother's Tears [monument] should remind all of us that societies in the world are becoming multiethnic, multireligious, multicultural and that must be seen as a positive thing. It is a richness, not a threat,” he said, underscoring: “Diversity needs to be cherished, not condemned.”