Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, has arrived in Kabul on Monday for a short diplomatic tour of the region that will also see him visit Pakistan on Tuesday. The trip, which had been kept under wraps for security reasons, is Solana’s third to Afghanistan and his fourth to Pakistan in his capacity as top EU foreign policy representative.

While in Kabul, Solana was expected to hold talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, government ministers & the speakers of parliament. Solana also planned to meet officials from NATO’s International Security Assistance Force & Kai Eide, the UN’s Special Representative for Afghanistan.