Cuba, England Hold Meeting to Promote Business Relations

In the presence of Miguel Díaz-Canel, president of the Councils of State and Ministers, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment of the Island, Rodrigo Malmierca, affirmed that the relaunch of the Cuba Initiative, of the United Kingdom, is a historic moment for relations between the two countries.

At the inauguration on Monday, at the National Hotel, of a business forum on the occasion of the visit to Cuba by the Co-Chairman of the Cuba Initiative, Lord David Triesman, Malmierca pointed out that this business meeting confirms the determination of the respective governments to promote mutual economic and commercial relations.

He specified that the relaunch takes place in accordance with the will expressed during the visit to London of the Cuban President at the end of 2018, and the one recently expressed in Havana by his Royal Highnesses Charles.

The Minister recalled that the national economy faces a difficult situation,
caused fundamentally by the intensification of the blockade imposed by the United States, the main obstacle to the development of the country.

The decision of the U.S. administration to fully implement Title III of the
Helms-Burton Act reinforces the purpose of discouraging Cuba’s economic relations with other countries, and your presence at this event is yet
another sign of your failure, he said.

He stressed that despite the pressures Cuba continues to update its economic model, and among the essential components of this process is the
diversification of economic relations abroad.

Likewise, he pointed out, there is recognition of the essential role of foreign investment, especially in prioritized sectors such as tourism, biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries, food production, construction and the electronics sector, with emphasis on renewable energy.

According to Malmierca, progress will continue to be made to support the establishment in the country of foreign investors who, in addition to providing capital, facilitate access to advanced technologies.

In line with these priorities we are pleased to know that we already have British companies incorporated into investment projects linked to the tourism and renewable energy sectors, he said.

He warned that there is great potential to continue generating mutually
advantageous partnerships and even increase bilateral trade.

Lord David Triesman, co-chairman of the Cuba Initiative, asserted that this is indeed a relaunch because they come with new energy and intentions. He stressed that they can operate in all strategic sectors if the project is properly developed, different methods and paths are sought.

During the first part of the forum the British businessmen attending received detailed information on the development of renewable energy in Cuba, the current situation of banking, biotechnology, agriculture and food production.

Ricardo Cabrisas, vice-president of the Council of Ministers, and Orlando Hernández Guillén, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of Cuba, also attended the inauguration.