He made the statements in Rome on Monday evening during a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in which he also hailed Italy's positive role the settlement of the dispute over Iran's peaceful nuclear program.
The Italian premier termed the two countries as superpowers of beauty and culture and called for an increase the ties further than traditional oil and gas industries.
Iran can be the hub of security, energy, human resources and development, and geopolitical importance, Rouhani said, welcoming Renzi's comments.
If it were not for Iran's pioneer role in the fight against terrorism in the region, the world would have been witnessing more difficult conditions for peoples of Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, he stressed.
