Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Ashgabat last night, starting his two-day official visit to Turkmenistan at the invitation of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.--Xinhua

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in Ashgabat last night, starting his two-day official visit to Turkmenistan at the invitation of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

During his stay in the country, Wen will hold talks with Berdymukhamedov, and meet with Akdzha Nurberdyeva, chairman of the Turkmen Assembly.

The two sides will exchange views on bilateral relations and regional and international issues of common concern, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

A series of agreements concerning bilateral cooperation are expected to be signed during the visit, the ministry said.

In a written statement delivered at the airport, Wen highlighted the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Turkmen peoples, saying that the two nations supported each other on key issues of concern and closely coordinated their actions in multinational frameworks such as the United Nations and this has effectively safeguarded the common interests of the two nations.

Wen's visit coincides with the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Turkmenistan.

Turkmenistan is the second leg of Wen's four-nation trip, which has already taken him to Uzbekistan and will take him to Belarus and Russia.