Premier Wen Jiabao held talks with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and acting Belarus Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko on Sunday, a day when a number of cooperation agreements were signed.

The two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, regional and international issues and other matters of common concern, a Foreign Ministry source said.

In a written statement delivered at Minsk airport upon his arrival, Wen said bilateral cooperation has entered a growth momentum.

China-Belarus ties have entered a new stage of all-round development and strategic cooperation, he said. "I hope my visit to Belarus will help promote bilateral relations further and push bilateral cooperation to a higher level."

Wen's visit coincides with the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The premier visited Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and attended the Sixth Meeting of the Prime Ministers of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent before flying to Minsk.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2007)