Tasnim � Iranian President Hassan Rouhani offered his congratulations to Ukraine on its Independence Day, hoping for the expansion of ties between Tehran and Kiev.

In a message to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday, Rouhani congratulated Ukraine�s people and government on the 28th anniversary of the East European nation�s independence.

Highlighting the �strong and friendly� ties between Iran and Ukraine, Rouhani expressed hope that mutual cooperation at the bilateral and international levels would grow to serve the interests of the two nations.

Ukraine celebrates its independence on August 24.

Before 1991, Ukraine was a constituent republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In August that year, after a failed coup in Moscow, Ukraine declared its independence. About 90 percent of Ukrainians voted for their country�s independence in December 1991.