CubaPLUS Magazine

First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Gerardo Peñalver held a meeting in Canada this Monday with members of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Cuba, where they highlighted bilateral ties.

During this dialogue, in the context of his visit to Canada to participate in the Sixth Round of Inter-Ministerial Political Consultations, they discussed how to strengthen relations between the parliaments of both countries and identify new areas of cooperation.

Peñalver also met with Senator Peter Boehm, Chairman of the Canadian Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where they discussed priorities on the bilateral, regional, and international agenda. They also emphasized their interest in strengthening interparliamentary ties between the two countries, the Cuban official highlighted on his social media profile.

The First Deputy Minister also held "a productive exchange, in the first official meeting in Ottawa" with officials from the Canada Export Development Corporation and the Canada Trade Corporation. We note that the trade and cooperation ties between both countries are finding new potential, and there is a common will to strengthen them," he emphasized.

The working visit is taking place as part of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Cuba and Canada. Peñalver arrived in Canada this Sunday leading the delegation that will attend the 6th Round of Inter-Ministerial Political Consultations.

The bilateral program to be carried out by the Cuban delegation includes meetings with federal and local authorities, and representatives of the Canadian economic and commercial sector, among others.

Relations between Canada and Cuba date back to the 18th century, when ships from the Canadian provinces with Atlantic coasts traded and bartered cod and beer for rum and sugar. Canada's first diplomatic mission in the Caribbean was established in Cuba in 1945. In 1959, Canada recognized the Cuban government, and along with Mexico, they were the only two countries in the hemisphere that did not.

Canada's relationship with Cuba is based on a commitment to open dialogue, cooperation, and the advancement of trade and investment. The two countries have a well-established and significant trade and investment relationship. More than one million Canadians visited the island each year before the COVID-19 pandemic. Cuba is Canada's main market in the Caribbean/Central American subregion and is Canada's largest export market for goods in that region.

Canada is also Cuba's second-largest source of direct investment, with significant Canadian investment in mining, energy, oil and gas, and some investments in renewable energy, agriculture/heavy equipment, and tourism.

Canada has measures in place to protect Canadian investors conducting legitimate business in Cuba through the enactment of the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act (1985) and subsequent orders.
(Taken from Prensa Latina)