Foreign Trade Minister, Rodrigo Malmierca, delivers inaugural remarks
at ExpoCariba Trade Fair in Santiago de Cuba, June 23, 2022.
Santiago de Cuba, Jun 23 (RHC)-- Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment (MINCEX), inaugurated the 17th Expocaribe International Fair in Santiago de Cuba on Thursday.
In the presence of José Ramón Monteagudo, first secretary of the Party in the province; Beatriz Johnson, governor of the territory; foreign dignitaries and Cuban exhibitors, he pointed out the scope of this commercial exchange.
You are coming to a country working hard to move forward, confident in the future, he told foreign visitors after underscoring the effects of the intensified U.S. blockade, the pandemic, and the world economic crisis.
Expocaribe is taking place this time in the year in which we proudly celebrate the 50th anniversary of relations between Cuba and the member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Malmierca said.
The Minister explained that the government of Santiago de Cuba, MINCEX, the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, and Procuba are sponsoring this meeting, in which all conditions have been created to boost economic and trade relations with participating countries.
Malmierca stressed that the traditional meeting includes the nations of the Greater Caribbean, sister countries from Africa and Asia, and partners from Europe.
He also welcomed the presence of 250 Cuban companies wishing to contact foreign counterparts to take their economic and trade relations to a new level.
Cuba aims to promote its exportable funds and the replacement of imports in Expocaribe, said the Minister, in addition to affirming that this is a space to attract foreign investment, mainly to the eastern part of the island.
The opening ceremony took place in the main hall of the Heredia Cultural Complex, where Beatriz Johnson welcomed the representatives of 25 nations, including Cuba.
Other speakers included Lou-Anne Burns Martinez, Belize's ambassador to Havana, and Franklin Witter Robert, Jamaica's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.
The Belizean diplomat spoke on behalf of her country, which holds the pro tempore chair of CARICOM.
ExpoCaribe will be held until Sunday 26, when it can be visited by the public.
