Díaz-Canel to Turkish businesspeople: "We can do many things together"
The exchange that took place this Saturday in Istanbul between the high-level Cuban delegation, headed by President Diaz-Canel Bermudez, and a group of Turkish businesspeople who have or want to undertake projects on the island, is a sign that, as a representative of the Eurasian country said, there is interest, in a path that is two-way, to share experiences in Cuba's economic revolution.
Posted: Sunday 27 November 2022 | 01:07:02 am.
Translated by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
The exchange of views that took place this Saturday in Istanbul between the high-level Cuban delegation and a group of Turkish businessmen who have or want to undertake projects on the island. Author: Alejandro Azcuy Published: 27/11/2022 | 01:01 am
ISTANBUL, Türkiye— ISTANBUL, Türkiye.- On a transit visit to this city, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, held on Saturday a meeting with Turkish businesspeople convened by DEIK, a business diplomacy organization that manages the foreign economic relations of the Turkish private sector.
The meeting - aimed at promoting ideas and projects to increase the relationship of Turkish businesspeople with Cuba - was described by the Head of State as "totally revealing", taking into account the interest of Turkish businessmen in expanding and strengthening investments in the largest of the Antilles.
I believe, said Díaz-Canel, that "we can do many things together".
Before some 40 businesspeople from the Eurasian country, associated with important sectors such as energy, tourism, health, aviation and textile productions, the Cuban President made a brief account of some of the main investments that are currently being developed between Cuba and Türkiye.
In that sense, he highlighted the contract for the supply of electricity generation through floating plants, of which there are currently seven in the country; the development of three photovoltaic parks of 20 megawatts each; the academic exchange between universities; the existence of cooperation projects in areas of agriculture; and the use of renewable energies in search of energy efficiency.
"We are very interested in the investments of Turkish businesspeople in Cuba," assured President Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
From Türkiye to Cuba
Doing, rather than saying, is the purpose of Turkish businesspeople in their investment relations with the Greater of the Antilles. This was confirmed during the meeting by the president of DEIK, Nail Olpak, who also expressed the interest of the different companies that make up the organization to increase ties with Cuba, especially in areas related to the health sector and the production of medicines, energy, infrastructure and others, whose projects would be of mutual benefit.
Next, a dozen representatives of different companies that are making investments with Cuba or are interested in doing so took the floor.
With regard to the energy sector, they ratified their willingness to offer greater support to the island in different areas to help provide an integral solution to the country's generation problem. Regarding the joint work carried out with Cuban specialists, the professionalism with which they work was highlighted.
The contribution of Karadeniz Holding during the energy contingency the nation is going through, President Díaz-Canel said, has been vital. "You are part of the hope that the Cuban people have in improving the energy situation," he said.
Sectors in which there is also a marked interest in investing on the part of Turkish businessmen are health and biotechnology. When speaking, several businessmen coincided in highlighting the development achieved by Cuba in biotechnology and the potential of this field to boost investments. The purpose, they said, is to investigate what possibilities exist to increase cooperation in health.
In this regard, the Cuban Head of State assured those present that the business modality in the field of health can be very diverse and covers areas as dissimilar as clinical trials, technology transfer, the development of joint research, as well as the implementation of triangular projects to help third countries.
Many proposals and interests were expressed in other areas such as tourism, cosmetics production, in which successful experiences have already taken place, and the textile industry. Regarding the latter, where Türkiye has a large production and export market, ideas were shared that would make it possible to promote actions to move forward in Cuba and open up investment possibilities that would also allow for rescuing several of the plants that exist on the island and improve their technology or put them into operation.
"We are going to be part of Cuba's economic revolution," said Ibrahim Yildirim, one of DEIK's directors, almost at the end of the meeting.
It is a common will to promote investments and mutually beneficial projects. Saturday's meeting was a clear demonstration of this. The route already initiated between Cuba and the Turkish business community is a two-way road that will continue to consolidate in the immediate present and also with the will for the future.
Photo: Alejandro Azcuy.
https://www.juventudrebelde.cu/internacionales/2022-11-27/diaz-canel-a-empresarios-turcos-podemos-hacer-muchas-cosas-juntos
