Cuba’s open door

The Havana International Trade Fair (FIHAV) 2016 at the Expocuba Fairgrounds, Havana, will run until November 4.

Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon and Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre are due to lead a delegation of 34 companies from Trinidad and Tobago to participate.

The FIHAV is a significant event in its own right. It is Cuba’s largest annual multi-sector trade fair. Last year, it welcomed over 1,000 companies from 70 countries. It attracts about 150,000 visitors.

The fair comes at a time when Cuba’s doors are open more than ever.

This is due to rapidly shifting political factors, as well as technological advances and improvements in infrastructure.

In July last year, diplomatic relations were restored between Cuba and the United States after over five decades of sanction.

US President Barack Obama travelled to Cuba in March, the first sitting US President to visit the island since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. Only a few days ago, the US abstained from voting against an annual United Nations resolution calling for an end to the US economic embargo against Cuba.

US Ambassador Samantha Power said the historic decision reflected the new policy of engagement over isolation.

“After 55-plus years of pursuing the path of isolation, we are choosing to take the path of engagement,” Power said. She added, however, that the abstention did “not mean that the United States agrees with all of the policies and practices of the Cuban Government,” including “serious human rights violations.” The commercial opportunities which now present themselves are tremendous.

Though Cuba and Caricom have had strong ties, Cuba remains a largely unexplored market. Our focus should not be on fostering trade only with countries like Santo Domingo and Haiti, but also their important neighbour.

Cuba is not a member of Caricom, but perhaps the time has come for it to be more formally integrated within regional mechanisms. At the very least, observer status is a logical step.

Granting Cuba full access to the Caricom market is something that should be lobbied for as this will open a market of roughly 11.3 million people, more than half the size of the total population of Caricom’s full membership.

Already, Cuba and Caricom have close ties due to diplomatic relations which go back to 1972 with the establishment of the earliest diplomatic relations between Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Since then, all member States of Caricom have established diplomatic ties with Cuba.

A major area of cooperation has been Cuba’s contribution to the development of the member states of Caricom through the provision of scholarships to people desirous of pursuing programmes of study in the republic.

Since 1961, more than 1,218 Caricom students have graduated from Cuban universities.

Also, the 2000 Caricom and Cuba Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement has had the force of law in this country since 2006.

That agreement allows duty- free movement of a schedule of goods, ranging from foods to petroleum products.

We wish our delegation best of luck. It is time for increased trade with Cuba.