Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday jointly inaugurated the renovated Stor Palace in Kabul through video conferencing.

• During the video conference, Prime Minister Modi assured that India’s 1.25 billion citizens would always be on Afghanistan’s side in its quest to establish regional peace, security and stability.

• The Stor palace has been the setting for many momentous historical events. To those who cannot see beyond shadows of violence in Afghanistan, the restored Stor palace is a reminder of the glory of Afghanistan’s rich traditions.

• India has played a significant role in the reconstruction and rehabilitation process in Afghanistan over the past few years.

• A tripartite agreement was signed in between the Aga Khan Development Network, the Afghanistan and India for the comprehensive restoration of the Stor Palace, located on the grounds of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Initially built as a one-story pavilion during the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman Khan, the Stor Palace, also known as Qasr-e-Stor, was expanded on at least two occasions in the 20th century.

• In 1919, one of the rooms in the palace was used for the signing of the Rawalpindi agreement, which led to Afghanistan being declared an independent sovereign state.

• It housed the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 1965, when most functions were then relocated to a new building located on the eastern side of the Afghan capital.