The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez took part in the opening of the XXXVIII Havana International Fair at the Expocuba exhibition center in the capital.

After two years without taking place due to the international COVID pandemic, national and foreign businessmen, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in the country are participating in this edition.

In his welcoming remarks, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero highlighted the organization of the meeting with all the conditions for exhibitors.

The event allows for face-to-face exchanges with businessmen from around the world and with Cubans from other parts of the world who wish to participate in the economic development of the country.

Cuba is not isolated, it resists and renews itself, to which this multisectoral fair, the largest in the Caribbean, contributes, emphasized Marrero Cruz.

He added that the open market condition and other elements make us vulnerable to the post-pandemic international economic situation, intensified by the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba.

The financial persecution and the fall of tourism in that period impacted on the possibility of honoring our obligations, the Prime Minister said.

He added the government's determination to comply with each one of its obligations and thanked the confidence of businessmen, companies and banks for their trust. Cuba stands up in the face of difficulties, he affirmed.

Representatives from 62 countries and more than 400 companies are attending the commercial exchange.  Cuba will present products of both state and new players.

Díaz-Canel says Cuba does not impose barriers on foreign investment

Díaz-Canel expressed our country's willingness to move forward in foreign investment, including with U.S. and Cuban-American companies.

After a tour of the exhibition areas of the Havana International Fair (FIHAV 2022), accompanied by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, the president said that Cuba has never put up barriers, but it has been the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States.

In statements to the press, gathered at the Expocuba fairgrounds, he insisted that the important thing is to find ways and business modalities with which we can move forward.

Díaz-Canel assured that this policy also affects other countries, and reaffirmed the intention of the largest Antillean island to hold dialogues with the United States on common issues, on the basis of respect and equal conditions.

In his opening remarks, Marrero Cruz announced that on Wednesday, November 16, for the first time, in the context of the fair, business opportunities for Cubans living abroad will be presented.

After the traditional ribbon cutting, the president and the head of government visited different pavilions, exchanged with exhibitors from China, the United States, Trinidad and Tobago, Spain and Mexico, among others, and participated in the National Day of the Russian Federation.

After two years of COVID-19 pandemic, FIHAV 2022, one of the main commercial exchanges in Latin America and the Caribbean, reopened on November 14, with the presence of exhibitors from 62 nations.

The presence at the event of businessmen and official delegations headed by high-ranking officials is an expression of the confidence of the international community to do business in the Cuban market, despite the U.S. blockade. (RHC