Bogota, Feb 20 (RHC) Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, German Umaña, and Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, held talks today to discuss issues of bilateral interest.

The private meeting was attended on the Cuban side by members of the delegation accompanying the minister, as well as Ambassador Javier Caamaño.

At the beginning of the meeting, Malmierca explained that during his stay in Colombia, which will conclude next Wednesday, they will also meet with businessmen to seek ways to promote the development of trade and investment relations.

This visit follows Umaña’s visit to Cuba, where he attended the Havana International Fair and after the re-launching of the 12th Joint Economic and Scientific-Technical Commission last November.

With the purpose of identifying business opportunities with Cuba or investing in projects in different productive sectors, close to 30 Colombian businessmen, led by the Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, participated in the 38th edition of the most important commercial event in Cuba.

The two countries have had an Economic Complementation Agreement in force since July 2001, which covers some 1,500 products with tariff preferences in favor of Colombia and almost 1,000 in favor of Cuba.

The 12th Joint Economic and Scientific-Technical Commission envisions 20 initiatives on climate change, gender, inclusion, innovation, and risk management.

Last December, after an audit carried out by Cuba’s National Center for Animal Health, Colombia obtained authorization to export beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, and meat by-products, following recognition of the Colombian official inspection system as equivalent to the Cuban one.

For Minister Umaña, this authorization ‘will allow fostering economic and trade relations based on the existing strengths and opportunities identified between the two countries and, undoubtedly, will benefit our peoples’.

From January to September 2022, Colombian exports of total goods to Cuba alone were US$21.4 million, of which US$18.9 million corresponded to non-mining energy goods.

The latter class of exports increased by 23.6 percent, compared to the same period in 2021.

Among the products sold to the island are vehicles for transporting 10 or more people; bags for packaging parenteral solutions; palm oil; wheat flour; polychloride; taps for domestic use, among others. (Source: Prensa Latina).