Afghan President Arrives In Saudi Arabia For Unannounced State Visit

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on an unannounced official visit, following the ninth round of ongoing US-Taliban peace talks in Doha, the president's office said

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2019) Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on an unannounced official visit, following the ninth round of ongoing US-Taliban peace talks in Doha, the president's office said.

"The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, led by a senior government delegation, arrived in Saudi Arabia on an official visit," the office said.

During his visit, Ghani will meet with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and other officials.

The unannounced visit comes after the US-Taliban peace talks in Qatar, during which, on Thursday, the two sides reached a tentative agreement on a time frame for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.

Ghani views Saudi Arabia as an important periphery player the Afghan peace process. In July, Ghani discussed the matter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the phone.