CCAFA President Zhang Deguang Receives Uzbek Dostlik Order

Zhang Deguang， President of the China-Central Asia Friendship Association (CCAFA) was awarded the Dostlik (friendship) Order on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Independence of Uzbekistan.

A conferring ceremony was jointly held by the CCAFA and the Embassy of Uzbekistan in China in the Peace Palace of the CPAFFC on October 18， 2011， at which Ambassador Alisher A. Salakhitdinov presented the order to Zhang Deguang and read out the decree regarding the Order signed by Uzbek President Islam Karimov.

Ambassador Salakhitdinov said， Mr. Zhang had worked hard to promote relations between Uzbekistan and China， maintaining sincere friendship with the Uzbek people. In recent years under his leadership， the CCAFA organized a series of excellent activities such as the international symposium on “Art and the World”， the international art exhibition “Silk Road — A Trip of Peace”， etc.， making great contributions to developing bilateral relations， enhancing the friendship between the two peoples and deepening people-to-people exchanges and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

Zhang Deguang has served as Chinese Ambassador to Kazakhstan， Director General of the Department of European and Asian Affairs and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He has been the president of the CCAFA since his retirement.

After receiving the award， Zhang said it would inspire the CCAFA to make greater contributions to furthering the friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two great countries of China and Uzbekistan.

Assistant Foreign Minister Cheng Guoping was present at the ceremony.