Modi welcomes agreement between Afghanistan's Ghani, Abdullah

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday welcomed the agreement between Afghan leaders Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai and Abdullah Abdullah, saying India will stand steadfastly with the new government in Kabul in its task of building a strong and peaceful nation.

"We wholeheartedly welcome the agreement between the two Afghan leaders - Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah. Wisdom they have shown respects the strong democratic aspirations of the people of Afghanistan, which was also manifested by the poll turnout," said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

"India will stand steadfastly with the new government of Afghanistan as it continues the task of building a strong, developed and peaceful nation," the statement added.

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) Sunday declared Ghani as the new president.

The announcement came hours after he and his rival Abdullah signed an agreement on the structure of the national unity government, ending the months-long election deadlock.

Afghanistan's third presidential election since the fall of Taliban regime was held April 5 but since none of the eight candidates secured more than 50 percent of the votes, a runoff was conducted between front-runners Abdullah and Ghani June 14.

The IEC has congratulated Ghani as Afghanistan's new president and Abdullah as chief executive, a post akin to that of prime minister.