NEW YORK: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wants to build a “real and honest friendship” with Pakistan during his visit to Islamabad later this week, his spokesman was quoted as saying in a dispatch published in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

Reporting from Kabul, the newspaper said the visit was aimed at resetting ties with Pakistan.

Nazifullah Salarzai, the Afghan president's spokesman, said the Afghan leader would visit Pakistan this week for an official meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Salarzai added that the talks would focus on bolstering economic ties and security cooperation.

“Afghanistan wants to build a real friendship with its neighbouring country,” Salarzai said. “As the president has said, we have this window of opportunity; we want this window to be transformed into a door, then into a corridor and then into a highway.”

Ghani would undertake his first visit to Pakistan from Nov 14 on the invitation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. During his two-day visit, Ghani would also meet President Mamnoon Hussain, sources told Dawn.

Prime Minister Nawaz would receive the Afghan president on Nov 15 at his official residence where formal bilateral talks would take place followed by a joint press briefing.

Broad range of issues including security, defence, economy and post withdrawal of Nato, Isaf forces from Afghanistan would be discussed between the two countries.