[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)] [May 20, 1993] [Page 713] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]Statement by the Press Secretary on the President's Meeting With President Askar Akayev of Kyrgyzstan May 20, 1993 The President and the Vice President met today at the White House with President Askar Akayev of Kyrgyzstan. The President welcomed the Kyrgyz leader, noting his bold support of human rights, democracy, and market reform in the Kyrgyz Republic. During their talks, the President and Vice President discussed a wide range of issues of mutual concern with President Akayev and welcomed the expansion of bilateral ties between our two countries. The U.S. remains committed to assisting the Kyrgyz Republic in its difficult transition to a democratic and market-oriented system. The President and Vice President congratulated the Kyrgyz leader for being the first of the new independent states of the former Soviet Union to conclude a stand-by agreement with the International Monetary Fund to promote financial stabilization. They singled out Kyrgyzstan as a model for the other new independent states, praising President Akayev for his government's bold pursuit of macroeconomic stabilization and democratic reform.