Afghan president to attend Rohani swearing-in ceremony

Kabul’s Ambassador to Tehran Nasir Ahmad Noor says the Afghan president will attend the swearing-in ceremony of president-elect Hassan Rohani.

The Afghan envoy said Saturday that Hamid Karzai would travel to Iran to participate in the ceremony scheduled for August 4, one day after Rohani’s endorsement ceremony by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Karzai congratulated the Iranian president-elect on June 16, expressing hope that the two countries would further strengthen bilateral relations in future.

Rohani emerged victorious in Iran’s June 14 presidential election, which was marked by a high voter turnout. He won 50.7 percent of a total of 36, 704, 156 ballots counted.

The Interior Ministry put voter turnout at 72.7 percent.

The Iranian president-elect currently represents Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in the Supreme National Security Council and is also a member of the Expediency Council and the Assembly of Experts. He is the president of the Expediency Council’s Center for Strategic Research as well.