Paraguay asks for Iran's technical, engineering aid

TEHRAN , Nov. 28 (MNA)--Senior Paraguayan officials asked for Tehran's assistance in technical and engineering grounds. The issue was raised during a meeting between Paraguayan Parliament Speaker Victor Bogado and Iran's envoy to Asuncion Hojjatollah Soltani. At the meeting, Bogado noted Iran's remarkable capability in building different plants and factories and its achievements and progress in various industrial fields, and asked Tehran to help Asuncion build a cement production plant in the Latin American country. He said a private sector Paraguayan company owns Calicia mines which are sufficient for producing cement for two centuries, but it needs Iran's expertise to build a cement production plant. He reminded that at present his country owns several small and medium-size cement production plants, but it still imports cement from abroad. Iran has in recent years expanded friendly ties with Latin America, specially in economic, trade and industrial fields. Since taking office in 2005, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has expanded Iran's cooperation with many Latin American states, including Venezuela, Bolivia and Cuba. Ahmadinejad in a phone talk with his Paraguayan counterpart Fernando Lugo Mendez in March voiced Tehran's readiness to expand all-out ties and cooperation with Asuncion in line with the two nations' interests. During the phone talk, the two presidents discussed development of bilateral relations and cooperation. Referring to the existing potentials in both countries, the Iranian president called for enhancing the current level of mutual cooperation between the two states.