TEHRAN - The 14th International Iran Stone Exhibition opened in Mahallat county in Iran’s Markazi Province on Tuesday, IRNA reported.

The four-day exhibition was opened in a ceremony attended by senior officials including the deputy industry minister, some foreign ambassadors, as well as tradesmen and artists active in the decorative stone industry at Nimvar Stone Exhibition Center in Mahallat county.

The space of the exhibition was enlarged by 30 percent in comparison to its area last year, so the expo is being held in an area as big as 90,000 square meters.

The Nimvar Center stands second in size after the Construction Industry Exhibition in Tehran. It also ranks sixth in terms of exhibition space after Italy, China, Turkey, Brazil, and India.

The current year’s exhibition provides stone suppliers with the opportunity to exhibit 32,000 tons of decorative stones extracted from 500 mines in 29 provinces throughout the country.

Some 21,000 tons of decorative stones from 350 mines across Iran were showcased in the last year’s similar exhibition.

Some 16 training courses are scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the international exhibition.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Cuban Ambassador to Tehran Alberto Gonzalez Casals said that Iran’s stone industry is of global fame.

Casals said that Iran’s stone industry is of high quality and variety and Cuban businesses are ready to work with Iranian companies in this sector.

The ambassador said that Cuba does not have large mines like Iran’s and is ready to purchase Iranian products and leverage Iranian technology in this regard.

He also noted that Iran and Cuba could neutralize sanctions against both countries through serious collaborations, urging Iran to focus on Latin America.

The Cuban diplomat vowed that his country would hold an exhibition of Iranian products, including stone industry and mining.

EF/