CubaPLUS Magazine

The Tenth edition of Expo Aladi is already considered a success as it has allowed a wide exchange between the participating business community, to meet new potential partners, as well as the establishment of new commercial relationships, stated Yanet Fernández, director of Trade Policy with Latin America and the Caribbean of Mincex.

In an interview given to CubaPLUS, the official from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment of Cuba (Mincex), she considered this quote has great significance, Well, in addition to resuming meetings in person, -in the previous three, conducted remotely- has taken place for the first time in a Caribbean country.

This edition, he continued, has met our expectations, since the participants, more than 300, have achieved so far –he hopes in the end it will be a greater number– 2, 500 appointments, which allowed them to exchange criteria, promote new exports and identify new suppliers, all fundamental factors for promoting trade.

For the Cuban company, she said, and, above all, for the new economic actors this 10th Macro business roundtable has been a transcendental space in terms of commercial activity and business. When answering a question about the importance it has for Cuba and, of course, for the rest of the 12 member countries of Aladi, she pointed out that “belonging to the organization, allows us to have some preferences between the countries that make it up, in addition to other benefits such as investment protection and safeguarding, all related to trade.

“We are signatories of agreements with these countries that allow us to have zero tariffs in some products and low levels on others that, ultimately, benefit the final recipient of the products,” she considered.

Finally, she highlighted the importance of this meeting taking place in Cuba because the foreign business community present has been able to get to know the country, the hospitality of Cubans, and have expressed the very pleasant atmosphere they have experienced on the island these days, since "Cuba has organized this meeting with its heart and with many wishes that everything concludes satisfactorily.”

The Latin American Integration Association (Aladi), created by the Montevideo Treaty of August 12, 1980, is an intergovernmental organization whose purpose is to achieve the integration of the region with the objective of establishing a Latin American common market and Its members are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.