Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will visit Washington next week for the first time since his election to meet with administration officials and mark a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries.
Mr. Ghani will be joined by Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah and other key Afghan government leaders on the five-day visit that begins Sunday.
Jeff Eggers, the senior director for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the National Security Council, said Mr. Ghani is eager to meet with members of the administration and demonstrate that he is committed to having a better relationship with the American government than predecessor Hamid Karzai.
“This is a different relationship than we had under President Karzai, it’s clearly more cooperative and better,” Mr. Eggers said. “It’s important our leadership and audience here in Washington sees that qualitatively different relationship and that more positive vision.”
One of Mr. Ghani’s first acts after being elected about six months ago was signing a bilateral security agreement that allowed U.S. forces to remain in the country after 2014 to train Afghan forces and maintain some counterterrorism missions, something Mr. Karzai refused to do.
Mr. Ghani’s election and visit “herald in a new chapter” in relationship between the two countries, said Dan Feldman, special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the State Department.
The Afghan leaders will arrive in Washington on Sunday and have a small engagement with Secretary of State John Kerry that evening, Mr. Feldman said.
Monday, the leaders will speak at the Pentagon to thank American service members for their work in Afghanistan before heading to Camp David to talk about security strategy, economic recovery and regional engagement with Mr. Kerry, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, according to Mr. Feldman.
On Tuesday, the leaders will visit Arlington National Cemetery following a breakfast with Vice President Joseph R. Biden. After a day of meetings at the White House, they will attend a state dinner hosted by Mr. Kerry.
Afghan leaders will visit Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with members of the the Afghan Women’s Caucus to highlight their commitment to improving education and other opportunities for Afghan women, Mr. Feldman said.
Thursday morning, the leaders head to New York City for meetings at the United Nations. Mr. Ghani will also speak at a Council on Foreign Relations event, according to a release from the council.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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