Cuba and Panama expressed on Wednesday in this capital their purpose of expanding and strengthening bilateral exchanges, in a business forum held in connection with the visit to the island of representatives of over twenty Panamanian companies.

In the presence of Ileana Nuñez, deputy minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Omar Fernandez, general secretary of the Cuban Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the existing potential to strengthen ties between the two economies, backed by the bonds of friendship uniting the two peoples.
Nestor Gonzalez, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade of Panama, spoke about the benefits of the expansion in 2014 of the Partial Scope Agreement, signed by both countries in 2009, which achieves significant tariff preferences in various export items.
He pointed out that the Special Development Zone of Mariel has a very important logistics connotation, and that, together with the Panama Canal, the expansion of which is planned for late April 2016, will favor international trade and ties in the region.
With respect to the participation of his country in the upcoming Havana’s International Trade Fair, he said that the number of companies attending it, with regard to the previous Fair, will be doubled, and that it will be a suitable framework to promote their products in addition to explore the new opportunities Cuba offers.