Ashraf Ghani, who was elected president of Afghanistan six months ago, will be making his first trip to the United Nations this week to meet with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to discuss the new government, sources said on Monday.
Ghani, 66, is expected to break bread with Ki-moon at UN headquarters on Manhattan’s East Side on Thursday, the sources said.
“They will be talking about the UN’s role in Afghanistan and the progress of Afghanistan’s new government so far, said one source close to the matter.
“They’ll also mention the formation of a new cabinet for President Ghani and the challenges ahead,” the source added.
On Sunday, Ghani left Kabul, Afghanistan, to fly to the United States for a five day trip, beginning in Washington D.C.
Ghani will meet with President Obama in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
While in the nation’s capital, he will also meet with Vice President Biden, House Speaker John Boehner and other U.S. dignitaries.
Ghani is considered a breath of fresh for the Obama administration, which had a cantankerous relationship with Afghanistan’s previous leader, Hamid Karzai.
During his meeting with Obama, Ghani will likely discuss, among other important topics, the need to keep America’s 10,000 troop in Afghanistan beyond 2016.