Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in the Qatari capital Doha Saturday for a visit expected to focus on accelerating possible peace talks with the Taliban, dpa reports.
He was welcomed at Doha airport by Qatari Minister of State Abdullah al-Attiya, the official Qatar News Agency said.
Karzai's office said he was making a two-day state visit at the invitation of the emir, Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani.
Karzai would discuss the opening of a political office for the Taliban, which has been waging a war since their regime was toppled in 2001, an Afghan Foreign Ministry official said last week.
Qatar has recently welcomed the possibility of opening the office, hoping it would facilitate efforts to establish peace in Afghanistan.
While the Afghan government has been pushing for the Taliban office in Qatar "to facilitate a direct relationship and direct talks," the insurgents have in the past refused talks with the Karzai administration, calling it a puppet administration of the United States.