Cuba-Venezuela expand integration

This article first appeared in Cuba’s Granma daily newspaper.

Cuba and Venezuela’s integration efforts were further strengthened with several agreements signed Wednesday in the areas of transportation, communications, finances, mining, industry, tourism and energy penned in the presence of President Hugo Chavez and Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage.

During the signing ceremony, Chavez held up a letter he had received from Fidel Castro and pointed out the firm

Hugo Chavez and Carlos Lage

strokes of the Cuban leader’s signature. “Carry on [Fidel], because we need you as much as we love you and I hope that we will soon have another meeting together,” said Chavez.

The Venezuelan president stressed the strategic importance of cooperation between his country and Cuba in the most diverse areas and within the framework of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), which promotes Latin American integration, solidarity and complementary trade and social development.

The Venezuelan leader confirmed the importance of the agreed upon mechanisms contained within the16 bilateral cooperation accords signed Wednesday.

Chavez said the agreements included the framework for creating 12 additional joint ventures.

Cuban Vice President Lage spoke about the cooperation progress made between Venezuela and Cuba, pointing out that it has given rise to a new kind of integration in Latin America. He recalled the importance of agreements previously signed and anticipated new accords for February, when the mixed intergovernmental commission meets.

The Venezuelan president had earlier welcomed the Cuban delegation, headed by Lage, at Miraflores Palace. The two groups of top level officials then broke into eight working tables for a final revision of the agreements drafted by experts from both countries.

The Cuban delegation also included Yadira Garcia, minister of Basic Industry; Jorge Luis Sierra, Transportation minister; Ramiro Valdes, minister of Informatics and Communications; Martha Lomas, minister of Foreign Investment and Cooperation; Fernando Acosta, minister of the Metallurgical Industry; Francisco Soberon, president of the island’s Central Bank; Manuel Barreiro, minister of Tourism; Georgina Barreiro, minister of Finance and Prices; Maria del Carmen Perez, acting minister of Agriculture; and German Sanchez, Cuba’s ambassador to Venezuela.

At Fidel’s request, Lage handed Chavez a recent copy of Granma newspaper that carried an article recalling the historic visit the Cuban president paid to Caracas in January 1959, at a time when he anticipated that Venezuela would play a leading role in Latin American integration.

The importance of the new agreements signed Wednesday were highlighted by Venezuelan Minister of Basic Industry and Mining Jose Khant, who noted the considerable investments in mining, especially in the production of stainless steel. Venezuela currently imports stainless steel and could stop doing so with the help of Cuban nickel.

Other agreements include rice production in Venezuela for export to Cuba and a loan to improve the Caribbean island’s railroad networks.

According to the Bolivarian News Agency, the Venezuela delegation to the signing ceremony included Vice President Jorge Rodriguez, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro, Energy and Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez, Tourism Minister Olga Aguaje and the minister of Telecommunications and Information.