DAMASCUS. Aug 21 (Interfax) - Russian companies continue to participate in the 59th Damascus International Fair, whose grounds have been shelled by militants.
A rocket, which blasted near the fair's entrance, inflicted injuries on several people, reports referencing Syria's state-run television said.
The Russian pavilion is situated in the center of the fair's grounds. A Russian manufacturer of grain processing equipment is already working in Syria.
"We have been implementing a contract for the construction of a grain mill with the daily capacity of 600 tonnes near the town of Tartus for three years. This is roughly equivalent to the load of ten train cars. Lots of grain storage and processing facilities have been destroyed by the hostilities [in Syria]. Syria has asked for helping rebuild about 50 facilities of the kind," Muhammed Temirov, General Director of the Russian company Sovokrim, said.
"We have not brought all of this equipment here on purpose; it comes from the grain mill we are building in Tell Khalaf. Equipment is being assembled there, and we are due to commission the mill this year," he said.
In turn, Salma Jannat of the German delegation to the fair said she was hoping the sanctions against Syria would be lifted.
This is the first international industrial exhibition held in Damascus after a six-year pause. Before the war in Syria, the fair was the oldest and one of the largest exhibition events in the Middle East. It was held in the period between 1954 and 2011.
Fair General Director Fares al-Kartally said earlier that this year's event involved 43 countries. The exhibition's visitor turnout is expected to reach around 70,000.