KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani left Kabul on Saturday for a two-day official visit to Saudi Arabia accompanied by a high-level government delegation, the Presidential Palace said in a statement on Saturday.

Ghani is scheduled to meet the King of Saudi Arabia, King Salman, and other top officials, the statement said, adding Ghani will also visit Mecca for Umrah.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Ghani's visit to Saudi Arabia, the first country to formally recognize the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, is aimed at paving grounds for peace talks with the Taliban.

The delegation includes the National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar, First Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Khan, Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs Faiz Mohammad Osmani, Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai, High Peace Council (HPC) Secretariat Chief Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai and other senior government officials.

Following the efforts to initiate peace talks with the Taliban, Ghani had recently consulted the former Jihadi commanders, civil society activists, and the religious leaders in Kabul.

Pakistan's government and military officials have also announced their support for the peace process with the Taliban with a promise to bring the group to the negotiation table.

Former Taliban leaders also said, over the past few weeks, that the Taliban had shown a green signal for the talks; possibly to be held in Qatar.

Atmar visited Qatar last month where he discussed the grounds for peace talks with the Taliban envoys residing in the country. (Tolonews)