Lebanese Minister of Education and Higher Education Elias Bou Saab and Iran's Ambassador to Beirut Qazanfar Roknabadi underlined the need for consolidation of Tehran-Beirut relations, particularly in the higher education sector. Speaking at a meeting with Roknabadi and Chancellor of Iran's Islamic Azad University branch in Lebanon Nikzad Manteqi in Beirut on Friday, Bou Saab praised Iran's progress in various fields of science and higher education. The Iranian envoy, for his part, felicitated appointment of Bou Saab as the new minister of education and higher education. He further referred to the existing agreements on cooperation in the fields of education and higher education between the two countries, and expressed Tehran's readiness for developing and strengthening such cooperation with Beirut. Iran and Lebanon enjoy cordial relations and have further expanded these ties in recent years. The two sides have exchanged several delegations of high-ranking officials in the last three years.