New Delhi: At a time when China and Pakistan are trying to increase their influence in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India's historic ties with Afghanistan and assured his country's full support to the Taiban militancy-hit  neighbouring state.


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PM Modi, while addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the restored Stor Palace in Afghanistan via video conferencing, said that the ties between the two states will
only strengthen and grow deeper in the days to come.



I assure Afghan people that 1.25 billion people of India will always be on their side to build a prosperous Afghanistan, PM Modi said.


I repeat 1.25 billion people of India will always be on your side, he added.


He used the occasion to talk again about the India, Afghanistan and Iran transit corridor deal - to develop the Chabahar port - and about the Salma Dam India has built in the Herat province.


"Salma Dam will renew not just the economy and agriculture of Afghanistan's Herat, but will build a strong pillar of support for Afghan's overall growth. And the Afghanistan and Iran transit corridor (deal) that we signed this year is another landmark in our partnership," Modi said.


The PM said that the inauguration of the restored Stor Palace is "an entirely different, yet in many ways more fundamental, dimension" of Indo-Afghan ties.


"I say this because it brings back to life a valuable landmark of Afghanistan's cultural heritage. To those who can't see beyond shadows of violence in Afghanistan, the restored Stor palace is a reminder of the glory of Afghanistan's traditions," the PM said.


Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, on his part, said that Kabul is ready to spare no effort in protecting peace, overcoming terror and extremism.


Ghani also thanked India for helping with the restoration of the Stor palace.


"I express my most sincere appreciation for the government of India and its people," the Afghan President said.


India has played a significant role in the reconstruction of the palace that's located on the grounds of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Stor Palace, also known as Qasre-stor, was initially built as a one-story pavilion during the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan. It was expanded on at least two occasions in the 20th century.


In 1919, one of the rooms in the Palace was the setting for the signing of the Rawalpindi agreement, by which Afghanistan became an independent sovereign state.


Watch PM Modi's speech here.