HAVANA, Cuba.- Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez took a break from his participation in the V Plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, and delivered a speech that virtually reached the meeting of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEA), which took place in the former Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan. Cuba has the status of an observer country in this economic union, of which Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and the host nation of this meeting are full members.
continuing with that beggar spirit that he raised during his recent tour of nations on three continents, and after expressing that the experts from Cuba and the EAEU have identified areas of possible collaboration in the exploration of hydrocarbons, energy, biopharmaceuticals, iron and steel, agriculture, tourism and transport, the youngest in power addressed the subject that, apparently, most interested him.
About asserted: “We reiterate that for Cuba it is necessary to encourage trade in goods and services, particularly the export of Cuban products, based on the national exportable offer and on the basis of mutually advantageous cooperation.”
Mr. Díaz-Canel, aware of the acute crisis facing the island’s external finances due to the drop in its exportable funds, both in goods and products as well as in services, urges his EAEU counterparts —almost implores them— to that import Cuban products.
In truth, for this to happen, there would have to be a change in the course of events. Because until last 2021, with the exception of Russia, there was little Cuban trade with the EAEU countries, and also few exports from the Island.
The Statistical Yearbook of Cuba 2021 does not include the figures of the Cuban commercial exchange with Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Kazakhstan during the six-year period 2016-2021, which indicates that they were amounts of little value. With respect to Russia, Cuban exports of goods in that period amounted to 103 million 149 thousand dollars, while imports from the Island reached 2 thousand 522 million 214 thousand dollars, for a trade deficit of 2 thousand 419 million 65 thousand dollars. .
In the case of Belarus, Cuban exports were 54 thousand 112 million dollars, while the island’s imports amounted to 91 thousand 349 million dollars, which implies a trade deficit of 37 thousand 237 million dollars.
As can be seen, there have not been many goods and products that Cuba has been able to provide in the recent past to the nations that make up the EAEU. And it is not in sight in the immediate future that this situation can change.
Regarding services, only Tourism could achieve some levels of income for the Cuban economy in the years to come. That is why the Castro heir took advantage of his intervention at this EAEU meeting to invite businessmen from the tourism sector of these nations to participate in May 2023 in the International Tourism Fair that will take place in Havana. . Moment in which Castroism will desperately seek to promote its tourist offer.
The truth is that when the nations of the EAEU look for allies with whom to maintain mutually advantageous trade relations —there is talk of a free trade zone with the United Arab Emirates—, on the other hand, they must respond to the requests of a poor island that is only in a position to offer them unconditional political support.
OPINION ARTICLE
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