TEHRAN (IRNA) -- Government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said here Monday that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's official visits to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan is intended to consolidate bilateral ties with these countries.

"The two-day official visit by President Ahmadinejad to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, which will start today, is aimed at strengthening mutual relations and is a response to visits by the two countries' presidents to Tehran," Elham said at his weekly press conference.

He said Iran has invested in certain joint development projects in the two countries, and added that "during the president's visit, certain projects, including the Anzab tunnel, will be inaugurated. "The sides are also scheduled to discuss avenues for bolstering Iran's political, economic and cultural ties with the two states."

The spokesman, pointing to the multilateral meeting between the Persian-language states of Iran, Tajikistan and Afghanistan scheduled to be held in Dushanbe, said the meeting is to be held to promote the Persian language.