Cuba offers land in Mariel allies for 50 years
HAVANA, Sept. 6th The Government of Cuba proposed the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)in which it has observer status, the loan of a 50-hectare plot of land for the creation of an industrial park in which companies from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia set up production plants.
According to a Telesur report, the UEE revealed the initiative last Friday, which would have already been discussed by the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and the bloc’s executive body.
Havana’s proposal involves the loan of the land for a period of 50 years for the creation of an industrial park in the Mariel Special Economic Development Zone area that Havana has not been able to promote as it had promised after its creation.
Goar Barsegyan, Director of the EEC Integration Development Department, the initiative is “potentially attractive”, in addition to the possibility of extending the agreement beyond the initial term.
The official said in a statement that the industrial park would mean a greater opening of the Cuban market to companies from the UEE nations, allowing them to enter other Latin American marketsTelesur quoted.
If the agreement is carried out, the UEE could establish the industrial park, make direct investments in Cuba, and close agreements handling the general administration of the installation.
Barsegyan recognized that Russian and Belarusian companies, which “are traditionally represented” in Mariel, since they are those countries of the group that has the greatest commercial exchanges with Havana, “have had a positive experience” on the island.
This “comprehensive mechanism for the deepening of commercial and economic ties between the countries of the UEE and Cuba” will allow interested companies from other bloc countries to work actively in the Cuban market said.
The Eurasian Economic Union is an organization with which Moscow has kept several of the former USSR nations under its economic orbit, albeit with the professed purpose of increasing competitiveness and cooperation between national economies and promoting stable development. in order to raise the standard of living of the nations of the Member States.
In May 2021, Speaking before the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Miguel Díaz-Canel said that “economic, commercial, financial and cooperation relations with the member states of the Union are mutually beneficial” and added: “We are ready to collaborate on all the priorities of the Eurasian Economic Commission for this year.”
The president thanked the countries that make up the Union for “the permanent rejection of the genocidal policy of the United States Government,” and expressed “Cuba’s willingness to establish effective cooperation with the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union based on the exchange of experiences between experts from our countries, medical cooperation and collaboration with our vaccine candidates”.
“We also declare ourselves ready to begin the process of inserting medicines, devices and medical technology into the common market, the creation of which is endorsed in the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty,” he said.
Despite this, as well as the participation of senior Cuban officials in Union meetings, At the moment no important business has been formalized between the parties.
