Afghan president to attend Rouhani's swearing-in ceremony

Kabul’s Ambassador to Tehran Nasir Ahmad Noor said Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's president-elect Hassan Rouhani. The Afghan envoy said Karzai would travel to Iran to participate in the ceremony scheduled for August 4, one day after Rouhani’s endorsement ceremony by Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. Karzai congratulated the Iranian president-elect on June 16, expressing hope that the two countries would further strengthen bilateral relations in future, press tv reported. Rouhani 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 Ayatollah 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.