• Submitted by: lena campos
• Business and Economy
• 09 / 22 / 2012

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The president of Cuba’s Chamber of Commerce Estrella Madrigal and the leader of the entrepreneurial council of Russia’s Avtobaz Company, Eduard Vaino, signed on Friday the final document of the Cuba-Russia entrepreneurial forum, held in Moscow this week.

The document includes the initiatives proposed, discussed and adopted by both countries during the forum, Pl news agency reported.

Madrigal explained Cuba’s most significant achievements in the fields of health, education and economic development, such as the 2.1 percent GDP growth in the first half of 2012. She also mentioned the increasing performance of the service sector on the island particularly in the areas of tourism and service.

At present, Cuba has 58 626 hotel rooms on its tourist offer, said Madrigal, who also stressed the opportunities for investment in the Cuban tourist area, based on the increasing number of vacationers traveling to Cuba.

The island also expects to import foods for a total of 1.7 billion dollars and in this regard Russia could expand its exports to Cuba, particularly wheat, powdered milk and beans.

Madrigal also said that her country is currently working with 3 000 foreign companies, and that it signed 11 economic complementary agreements with Latin American nations, which could allow for a less costly way to take Russian products to the region.

Meanwhile, Cuban ambassador to Russia, Juan Valdes said that it was impossible to disregard political antecedents in current bilateral relations as he said that such links are evolving in the context of the recent visit to Moscow by Cuban President Raul Castro.

Valdes suggested adapting bilateral relations, in which Russia develops a market economy, to try to get the most out of bilateral economic cooperation.

Source: Radio Cadena Agramonte