Russia, China congratulate Rouhani on re-election as Iran's president

Moscow/Beijing, May 20 (ANI): Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday congratulated Iran's incumbent President Hassan Rouhani on his re-election to head the country. "Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram to Hassan Rouhani congratulating him on a convincing victory in the Iranian Presidential election," Sputnik news quoted a Kremlin statement, as saying. "The Russian president expressed confidence in further successful implementation of the agreements, including those reached during the recent official visit of Hassan Rouhani to Russia, for the benefit of people in both countries and in the framework of maintaining stability and security in the Middle East and the whole world," the statement read further. Meanwhile, "President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a congratulatory message to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on his re-election as president," tweeted People's Daily. On Friday, over 40 million people voted in the Presidential election in Iran. Earlier in the day, Iran's Interior Ministry announced that Rouhani was re-elected for the second term receiving 57 percent of votes. Rouhani's win is likely to have a huge impact on the country's relations with the West and on the Iran nuclear deal, which was achieved after years of tough negotiations. The election is seen as a verdict on President Rouhani's policy of opening Iran up to the world and his efforts to revive the economy. (ANI)