• Submitted by: Juana
• Havana
• United States
• Business and Economy
• 10 / 06 / 2016

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Authorities of Cuba and of the US State of Louisiana signed on Havana on Tuesday, for the first time, memorandums of understanding in the agricultural and port sectors.
One of them was signed at the Iberostar Central Park Hotel between Cuba’s National Port Administration (APNC) and the Association of Ports of North American territory and includes facilities of Louisiana, New Orleans and Lake Charles.
The second was agreed between the Cuban Agricultural Business Group and the Department of Agriculture and Forests of the aforementioned US institution.
John Bel Edwards, governor of Louisiana, and his accompanying delegation of 57 people, began on Monday a visit to Cuba that will end on Friday, and the documents were signed after the carrying out of a forum on business opportunities and foreign investment on the Island.
We are interested in mutual commercial exchanges, he said during the meeting, and in that regard he announced that his government's legislature approved a resolution to propose the executive the reestablishment and strengthening of the association with Cuba in order to take advantage of the new opportunities of its market.
Bel Edwards expressed his solidarity with Cubans for the consequences of the imminent crossing of Hurricane Matthew through the eastern side of the island.
Maria de la Luz B´ Hamel, director for Commercial Policy with North America of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment, coincided with the US governor with respect to commercial exchanges and the strengthening of economic bonds.   
However, she warned about the persistence of the negative impact of the economic, financial and commercial blockade of the United States for more than 50 years now.    
According to the program, the visitors will meet with representatives of the ministries of Agriculture and Public Health, as will visit the Exclusive Development Area of Mariel (ZEDM) and the Fructuoso Rodriguez Agrarian University in the neighboring province of Mayabeque.