KABUL – Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani arrived in Saudi Arabia onSaturday on an unannounced official visit, following the ninth round ofongoing US-Taliban peace talks in Doha, the president’s office said.

“The President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mohammad AshrafGhani, led by a senior government delegation, arrived in Saudi Arabia on anofficial visit,” the office said.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz received the President of AfghanistanAshraf Ghani at the al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Sunday, the Saudi PressAgency (SPA) reported.

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

Ghani views Saudi Arabia as an important periphery player the Afghan peaceprocess. In July, Ghani discussed the matter with Saudi Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman over the phone.