TEHRAN – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Alain Hakim in Tehran on Monday that the Islamic Republic welcomes an agreement between the rival political groups in Lebanon to elect a president.

On January 19, Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea announced that he is supporting the rival Michel Aoun, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) chairman, to become president.

The presidential post in Lebanon has been vacant since May 2014.

“I declare that the Lebanese Forces have endorsed MP Aoun’s presidential candidacy in the hope that it will end the deadlock,” Al Jazeera quoted Geagea as saying. “This is a historic day. We have indefinitely folded the page on the past between the Lebanese Forces and the FPM.”

During the meeting with Alain Hakim in Tehran on Monday, Amir-Abdollahian also elaborated on the latest developments in Iran’s relations with the countries in the Middle East region.

“Iran makes efforts to solve problems in regional countries especially in Syria and Lebanon and highlighted the necessity of cooperation among the countries in this respect,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

For his part, Hakim said that Iran has important status in the region and called for expansion of economic ties between the two countries.

He also congratulated Iran over the nuclear agreement with the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany).

NA/PA