Iran to open exclusive fair in Lebanon

TEHRAN,June 9(MNA) - An exclusive exhibition of Iranian products will open in Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut on June 13 and will last for five days. Some 75 Iranian companies will showcase their latest products and achievements, especially in the fields of medicine, carpet, car, agriculture, food, construction materials, handicrafts, and energy industries. Lebanon and Iran are mulling a free trade area, Lebanese Economy Minister Nicolas Nahas said on May 4, welcoming the step as a boost to bilateral trade between the two countries. "We are currently studying the agreement that would include phasing out customs and fees on imports and exports between the two countries [in the free trade zone]," he said. Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, on Thursday said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon was a turning point in Iranian-Lebanese ties. "The visit bolstered bilateral economic, trade, political, scientific, cultural, and social ties," Roknabadi said during a press conference he held at the Embassy's headquarters to announce the "Made in Iran" exhibition's inauguration, to take place at Biel from June 13 till 17 under Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas patronage. The Ambassador also drew attention to the low volume of trade exchange between Lebanon and Iran and correlated this fact to the countries' private sector unawareness of their potentials and capabilities.