Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah met with the visiting Australian Governor-General Peter John Cosgrove on Saturday respectively, said a statement from the Presidential Palace here on Sunday.

Ghani thanked Australia for its contribution in the rebuilding process of Afghanistan, the statement said, adding the Afghan president appreciated the services of Australian troops in Uruzgan province and giving training to Afghan forces there.

During the meeting, Cosgrove assured his country's long-term support to economic development of the conflict-hit country, saying, "Australia is committed to help Afghanistan achieve economic development.

Foreign leaders usually pay unannounced visit to Afghanistan obviously due to security concerns and media get information after their departure.

Afghan government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah ,in a separate meeting with the Australian Governor-General, expressed his gratitude to the Australian government for its contribution in the rebuilding process of the war-torn Afghanistan, saying he wants to enhance relations between the two nations in different fields.

The chief executive also emphasized on joint cooperation in the war on terror and extremism.

Topics like Afghanistan's relations with countries in the region, relations between Afghan and Australian armies and Australian cooperation in the field of capacity building were also discussed in the meeting, a statement released by the office of Chief Executive said.

Both leaders also exchanged views on bilateral issues, including enhancing cooperation between their countries.

Source: XINHUA