Iran can be an important economic player in the Cuban development model
- Written by Alina Perera Robbio and René Tamayo, Granma
- Published in Cuba
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The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, together with the delegation accompanying him, exchanged with about 200 businessmen and businesswomen of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on business opportunities and conditions and incentives that Cuba offers to Iranian capital.
Tehran: "We aspire for Iran to become an important economic actor in Cuba's development model," said yesterday the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, to representatives of the business community of this country.
On Tuesday, the Head of State, together with the delegation accompanying him, exchanged with about 200 businessmen and businesswomen of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on business opportunities and conditions and incentives that Cuba offers to Iranian capital.
The call made on Monday by the leader of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, and Iranian President Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, aimed at boosting economic and trade relations with the largest of the Antilles, has undoubtedly been an additional incentive.
The room prepared for the occasion was overflowing, forcing some businessmen to remain standing. The large quorum led Díaz-Canel to say that the convocation had exceeded the expectations brought by the Cuban side.
After reviewing the sectors prioritized in the Cuban Economic and Social Development Plan and the legal regime for foreign investment, the Head of State clarified that, in addition to these, "Cuba is open to any type of business model in terms of cooperation and investment proposed by Iranian businessmen".
According to the Presidency's website, the exchange was attended and participated in by the Iranian Vice President for Science and Technology, Ruhollad Dehghani Firouz Abadi, and the Minister of Health and Medical Education, Bahram Eynollahi, co-chairman of the Iran-Cuba Intergovernmental Commission, among other government officials of the Persian country related to industry and trade.
The Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente la O Levy, reported on investment opportunities in sectors such as oil, electric energy, renewable sources, nickel production and the manufacture of energy-efficient equipment, including household appliances.
The Minister of Agriculture, Ydael Perez Brito, spoke about the potential in the production of grains, coffee and sugar cane, as well as in livestock, including eggs, fattening chicken, small livestock and other meats, areas in which Iranians have vast experience and international recognition. He also referred to irrigation equipment, fertilizers and pesticides.
The president of the BioCubaFarma business group, Eduardo Martínez Díaz, made a presentation on the export capacities and offers of biotechnological and pharmaceutical products, as well as the potential of cooperative production, one of the most emblematic areas of collaboration between Cuba and Iran, based on the links of scientific institutions with the Pasteur Institute of Iran.
In the presentation of the business opportunities offered by Cuba, participated the member of the Political Bureau and Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla; the Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda; the First Deputy Minister of Public Health, Tania Margarita Hernández Cruz; the president of the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, Antonio Rodríguez Rodríguez Rodríguez; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Déborah Rivas Saavedra, and the Deputy Foreign Minister Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo, among other members of the delegation.
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, holds a meeting with representatives of the business community of the Islamic Republic of Iran Photo: Taken from the Twitter of the Presidency of Cuba
The Cuban side reported on the opening to foreign investment of wholesale and retail trade, a sector in which the expertise of the businessmen and women of this country of the Arabian-Persian Gulf is well known.
At the opening of the debate, more than half a dozen Iranian businessmen, among them leaders of large corporations, showed their willingness to invest in Cuba in the prioritized sectors, and in others.
They put on the table possible businesses to exploit the tailings of the nickel and cobalt factories in Holguin, the supply of equipment for power generation and various industries, the export of machinery and tools and other goods. The intention to invest in certain areas of agriculture, trade and services was also evident.
Díaz-Canel took note of each of the proposals of the Iranian businessmen, and stressed the potentialities that are open to both parties, from the common benefit.
