Expanded Mexican SME investment in Cuba a key goal of business forum
Havana, Jul 14 (EFE).- Expanded Mexican investment in Cuba by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is a key theme of the Cuba-Mexico Business Forum, a two-day event that kicked off Thursday in Havana.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz were on hand for the inauguration of the forum at the historic Hotel Nacional de Cuba, as were Mexico’s undersecretary of industry and commerce, Hector Guerrero, and Mexican Ambassador to Cuba Miguel Diaz Reynoso.
More than 80 Mexican companies and 150 Cuban firms, mostly in the tourism, agrifood, cultural, energy and biopharmaceutical sectors, will participate in the forum, organizers say.
Most of the Mexican companies in attendance are small and medium-sized businesses, according to Guerrero, who said the goal is for more SMEs to set up shop on the island.
“The important thing is to negotiate, negotiate, negotiate,” he said.
Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas added that it is important for the participating companies to enter into agreements, highlighting Mexico’s importance for the island because of its geographical proximity and the nations’ historically strong bilateral ties.
The forum is part of a series of activities involving two countries that in 2023 will mark 120 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations, the most significant event being Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s visit to Cuba in early May.
Along with Spain, Canada, China and Venezuela, Mexico is one of the Communist-ruled island’s main trade partners. EFE
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