Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President Hassan Rouhani

The two countries want to see our neighbor Afghanistan safe and prosper, Modi said. The leaders discussed bilateral cooperation across a range of areas and regional issues. Rouhani was today accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that India and Iran wish to see their neighbours free of terrorism and hope a safe and prosperous Afghanistan.

"The two countries want to see our neighbour Afghanistan safe and prosper. We want to see our neighbours free of terrorism," PM Narendra Modi said during a meeting with Iran President Hassan Rouhani.

"Regional conflict should be resolved through dialogue. We hope to see peace, stability and pluralism in Afghanistan," President Rouhani added.

Modi also discussed bilateral cooperation across a range of areas and regional issues during the meeting with Rouhani.

"Both leaders held substantive and productive discussion on cooperation in trade and investment, energy, connectivity, defence and security, and regional issues," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.

Addressing a joint press event with Rouhani, Modi said the visit by the Iranian president shows how the two sides want to deepen cooperation in key areas, including connectivity.

"We want to develop railway relations between Iran and India and are seeing the development of Chabahar Port," Iran President Hassan Rouhani said.

On sidelines of the bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Rouhani, agreements were signed in areas like double taxation avoidance, extradition, agricultural cooperation, port lease, medicine and others.

Earlier on Saturday, Rouhani, who arrived here on Friday evening from Hyderabad, was a accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

This the first presidential visit from Iran to India in 10 years and comes after the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the West Asian nation in 2016.

Following the ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj also called on the visiting dignitary.

"Strengthening cooperation in energy, connectivity, IT, education, culture and people-to-people contact came up for discussion," Kumar said in a separate tweet following that meeting.