In a message on Thursday, President Rouhani congratulated India’s new President Ram Nath Kovind on taking the office.
The history of cordial cooperation between Iran and India as well as their rich cultures and age-old civilizations make the expansion of bilateral ties “a strategic necessity” in order to open a new chapter in the relations, President Rouhani said.
He further expressed the hope that the Indian president’s tenure would mark closer interaction between Tehran and New Delhi in various fields.
Ram Nath Kovind took oath as the 14th president of India on Tuesday.
A former lawyer and state governor, 71-year-old Kovind was elected to the largely ceremonial position last week with more than 65 percent of the vote by members of India’s parliament and state assemblies.
