FIHAV: Spain Remains One of Cuba’s Top Commercial Partners

With the presence of the first Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment of Cuba, Antonio Carricarte, the CEO of ICEX Expaña Exportación e Inversiones, María Peña Mateos, and the ambassador of Spanish to the island, Mr. Juan Fernández Trigo, the pavilion of the Iberian country within the Day of Spain at the International Fair of Havana, FIHAV 2018, was officially inaugurated on Monday.

Spain, which is once again the most represented nation in FIHAV, returns to the most important commercial fair in Cuba with a large delegation of Spanish companies that cover several of the vital lines that the largest Caribbean island needs for its economic and investment-oriented development.

In her speech to those attending the inauguration of the Spanish Pavilion, Ms. Peña Mateos recalled that Spain continues to be Cuba's main trade partner within the European Union and its largest investor in the world, especially in the tourism sector.

"Spain wants to remain at the forefront of the Cuban development process. The historic presence of our companies in Cuba is already part of the Cuban society, and that is why we are here, to continue supporting the development, the productivity and the competitiveness for both Cuba and our companies,” Mrs. Peña Mateos said.

For his part, Antonio Carriarte, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment of Cuba, thanked Spain for its uninterrupted presence in FIHAV in the course of these 36 editions.

"We want to say words of appreciations to the Spanish business community for their confidence and trust at this time. We want to stress on the fundamental role played by foreign investment in the development of the country and in the solution of the structural imbalances that are still present. The participation of Spain is in correspondence with the tremendous importance of its relations with Cuba,” Mr. Carriarte said in his speech.