Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev met in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe Wednesday to discuss furthering bilateral relations.

"I'm very glad to meet you again in just over a month," President Hu told Medvedev, whom he met on the sidelines of the outreach sessions of the Group of Eight Summit in Japan on July 9.

With support from the international community including Russia, the Beijing Olympic Games were successfully held earlier this month, Hu said, expressing appreciation for the assistance received from the Russian government and people.

"What I want to stress is that the Russian athletes performed excellently during the Games," Hu said.

He reiterated that China will firmly support Russia in hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics in its Black Sea resort of Sochi, offering assistance in the organization and security of the games.

Medvedev said the frequent meetings between Russian and Chinese leaders were indicative of the close relations between the two states.

He congratulated China on the success of the Beijing Olympics, noting that good organization has made the Games an excellent event and unique in Olympic history.

Medvedev congratulated the Chinese Olympians on their achievements and also praised the performance of Russian athletes.

Medvedev briefed Hu the issue of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as Russia's stance.

China has noticed the latest development in the region, expecting all sides concerned to properly settle the issue through dialogue and coordination, Hu said.

On the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Hu stressed that the SCO is embracing new opportunities and also confronted with challenges.

He suggested that China and Russia work along with other SCO members to enhance coordination and push forward the cooperation in politics, trade, economy and security within the SCO.

Russian-Chinese cooperation plays an important role in the development of Central Asia, Medevedev said, noting Russia will strengthen coordination and cooperation within the SCO in a bid to jointly preserve peace and stability in the region.

President Hu appreciated Russia's support after the May 12 devastating earthquake in southwestern China's Sichuan province.

Invited by Medvedev, some 1,000 Chinese students affected by the earthquake went to Russia recently for rehabilitation.

"I believe those students will grow up as the introducers of the Chinese-Russian friendship and successors of such a relation," Hu said.

On bilateral relations, Hu said the China-Russia partnership of strategic cooperation has maintained a sound momentum of development.

Medvedev hailed the development of bilateral relations, saying to carry out substantial cooperation with China is an important direction in Russia's external cooperation.

Hu and Medvedev are in Dushanbe for Thursday's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which will focus on economic, security and cultural cooperation in the region.

Founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, the SCO groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India are observers of the SCO.

President Hu arrived here on Tuesday for a state visit and the SCO summit. The Chinese leader is currently on a three-nation tour, which took him to the Republic of Korea and will also bring him to Turkmenistan.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2008)