Afghan President Visits Saudi Arabia

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (left) meets with a Saudi official in Riyadh on October 25.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has visited Saudi Arabia on his first overseas trip since taking office last month.

Local newspapers on October 26 published photographs of Ghani performing a pilgrimage and praying in the western city of Medina.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported that in talks with Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz in the capital, Riyadh, the two sides "reviewed prospects for cooperation between the two brotherly countries."

In a statement on October 25, Ghani's office said he would perform Umrah, a pilgrimage to Mecca that can be undertaken at any time of year.

Ghani's next scheduled trip is to China from October 28-31, where he will meet with President Xi Jinping and potential investors in the rebuilding of Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by AFP and SPA