Iran and Lebanon sign 17 cooperative agreements during Ahmadinejad's visit

Iran and Lebanon sign 17 cooperative agreements during Ahmadinejad's visit

2010-10-14 00:05:06 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEHRAN (BNO NEWS) -- Iran and Lebanon on Wednesday signed seventeen cooperative agreements on different fields during the visit of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Beirut, local media reported.

Ahmadinejad arrived to Lebanon on Wednesday morning and was received by President Michel Sleiman. Both leaders then attended a ceremony where the agreements were signed.

The 17 documents on mutual cooperation includes agreements in agriculture, energy, oil and gas, commerce, handicrafts and tourism, higher education, environment, communication and information technology, and modern and media technologies.

Ahmadinejad, who is in Beirut at Sleiman's invitation, will also meet with high-ranking officials to discuss bilateral ties and exchange views over major regional and international issues. Iran has voiced its support in the past towards the security and tranquility of Lebanon.

Sleiman added that Lebanon will always press hard on Israel to implement international resolutions without conditions, especially the UN Security Council resolution 1701. The Lebanese leader assured that his government will always have the right to liberate its occupied territories via any legal means.

Ahmadinejad also met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri to discuss possible improvements and expansions to the bilateral relations and cooperation. Al-Hariri said that Lebanon is studying possibilities for bolstering cooperation.

"The political relations between Iran and Lebanon are at an acceptable level, therefore cooperation in the field of economy needs to be expanded parallel to these ties," Hariri said.

Thousands of the Lebanese people and officials extended an unprecedentedly warm welcome to the Iranian president as he stepped down his plane to start a two-day official visit to the Mediterranean state. Beirut has been invaded by hundreds of banners and messages of people in the streets to welcome Ahmadinejad to their country.

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