THE © YEAR VI Nº 4 FEB, 21 2017 HAVANA, CUBA avana eporter ISSN 2224-5707 YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE H R Price: A Bimonthly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency 1.00 CUC, 1.00 USD, 1.20 CAN Cuban Business Delegation Visits US P. 3 Foreign P. 4 Investment in Cuba’s Oil Industry Cuba Health & Culture Sports International Science Cuban Dance Puerto Rico Teaching Conference Cuba Combats Company’s U.K. Claims Caribbean in Havana Biodiversity Loss Tour Baseball Crown P. 4 P. 5 P. 10 P. 15 2 Caracol S.A. Stands Out at the Havana Cigar Festival The Cigar Houses, attached to the Caracol rums and cigars in spaces designed to S.A. company, are an ideal place to create fully enjoy these pleasures. the most exquisite tastes of cigar lovers. The Cigar Festival, held each year In these places, clients can enjoy the at the halls of the Havana’s Conference excellent service they deserve. Centre, gives participants the possibility In over 12 Cigar Houses located of finding the perfect combination all over Cuba, clients can acquire the between liquors and cigars. three most emblematic products of Meanwhile, the 30th edition of the country: the world’s best cigar the Amigos de Partagás Meeting is trademarks; the Cuban rums, and the scheduled for November at the Partagás Cuban coffee. Trademarks such as Romeo Cigar House, the first created in Cuba in y Julieta, Montecristo and Cohíba are 1993. This trademark sells over 2 million commercialized in these houses. cigars every year. Another distinctive element of the The Partagás Cigar House, also Cigar Houses is the experience and the attached to the Caracol company, is quality of the cigar rollers. Thisveteran located at Real Fábrica de Tabacos, (Calle trade allows getting a perfect balance Industria 520 e/Dragones y Barcelona) between the cigar’s wrappers and at the core of Havana. Since November theirfillings when making the product. 1998, this cigar house organizes these This, in turn, results in the cigar’s perfect meetings with the purpose of bringing burning when lighting it up, and in its together its most loyal clients, who are ductility when smoking it. already considered friends, but also those A specialized attention and the who join every year to celebrate another guarantee of being able to enjoy the best anniversary of the cigar house. cigars in the world, make visitors of the For a week, the Partagás Cigar Cigar Houses become regular clients of House offers several activities, including these places. welcome dinner and Gala with artistic One of the characteristics of these show; visits to places of interest centres is the presence, in most of them, for smokers; beach day; visit to the of a cigar roller, who shows visitors how countryside; lots; auctions, and other cigars are made – as some people prefer recreational options, and all the time in to buy cigars once they’ve seen how the world to smoke at the House with these are done. the friends. The Cigar Houses, attached to the This event, which every year attracts a Caracol S.A. company, will stand out higher number of clients – over 350- has in the XIX Cigar Festival, to take place collected through the auctions and other from February 28 to March 3. During this initiatives considerable sums of money edition, clients will enjoy the traditional that have been donated to the Cuban Cocktail Night, a special occasion to taste public health. CUBA 3 Cuban Business Delegation Visits US By MasielFERNANDEZ Courtesy of trabajadores.cu PHOTO: PHOTO: of Mobile and Mariel, in the western A Cuban business delegation recently Cuban Special Development Zone of concluded an intense working visit to same name (ZEDM). the United States, where they met with Official Cuban sources revealed that businessmen and politicians, visited Alabama was one of the first U.S. states companies and modern port facilities to trade with Cuba, once the possibility and signed bilateral agreements. arose at the beginning of the last decade. During the visit, Cuban delegation There are also members of that members met with representatives of state’s business community interested in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, port further diversification and the purchase authorities and parliament members of Cuban products not presently on U.S. in Washington. Markets, due to the blockade. The Cuban embassy in Washington The Cuban delegation, which also held said in a press release that the group activities in Louisiana, Florida and Texas, also participated in roundtable talks, was led by ZEDM general director Ana organized by U.S. Chamber of Commerce Teresa Igarza and by José Sosa, deputy Vice President for the Americas, Jodi director of the Mariel Container Terminal. Hanson Bond. Other Cuban delegation members They also met with Kurt Nagle, included Eradis González, of Almacenes American Association of Port Authorities Universales S.A. President and René R. president, an institution that represents Fernández, the Sea and River Transport more than 140 ports and 240 maritime Director of Cuba’s Transport Ministry. suppliers from Canada, the United States, Both Greg Abbot, the Governor of Latin America and the Caribbean. Texas and Houston Mayor Sylvester Cuba’s ambassador in the United Turner, who visited Cuba in 2015 States, José Ramón Cabañas, described and 2016, respectively, called for a meeting the visitors held with a strengthening of economic and members of the House Cuba Working commercial relations with Cuba and for Group as “fruitful”. the lifting of the blockade. During a two-day stay in Virginia, Washington and Havana resumed the Cubans were welcomed by the diplomatic relations in July 2015. State Secretaries of Commerce, Todd Courtesy of cubadebate Dozens of bilateral agreements and Haymore and Agriculture and Forestry, memorandums of understanding have Basil Gooden. PHOTOs: been signed over the past few months in Whilst there, they visited the chapter, a coalition working for the of Port Authorities conference, was one different spheres of mutual interest. Perdue Agribusiness Company and the lifting of the economic, commercial and result of the Cuban delegation´s visit to Cuban authorities however insist Virginia International Gateway modern financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States, which concluded on that the still in effect blockade, first container terminal. the US. February 3. imposed by the United States on They also held a meeting with the The signing of a memorandum of According to analysts, the February 7, 1962 is the fundamental state’s Port Authority and attended understanding with Alabama´s Port of memorandum facilitates the obstacle to the normalization of the launch of an Engage Cuba Virginia Mobile during an American Association strengthening of links between the ports bilateral relations process. A Weekly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency SOCIETY.HEALTH & SCIENCE.POLITICS.CULTURE THE YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE ENTERTAINMENT.PHOTO FEATURE.ECONOMY HavanaReporter SPORTS.AND MORE President: Luis Enrique González. Graphic Designers: Laura Reyes. Publisher: Agencia Informativa Latinoamericana, Information Vice President: Hector Miranda. Chief Graphic Editor: Alfredo G. Pierrat Prensa Latina, S.A. Editorial Vice President: Maitté Marrero Canda. Advertising: Irina Hernández Calle E, esq. 19 No. 454, Vedado, La Habana-4, Cuba. Chief Editor: Ilsa Rodríguez. Circulation: Commercial Department. Telephone: (53)7838-3496 / 7832-3578 Fax: (53)7833-3068 Translation: Dayamí Interián/ Sean J. Clancy/Yanely Interián Printing: Agencia de Comunicación Publicitur S.A. E-mail: [email protected] 4 CUBA Foreign Investment in Cuba’s Oil Industry RobertoSALOMÓN Delegates from Russia, China, Italy, Another area ripe for foreign Germany, France, the United Kingdom, investment in Cuba is deep water oil Panama and other Latin American exploration in the Gulf of Mexico Economic and North American companies were Exclusive Zone (ZEE, in Spanish), where advised on potential in the sector for reserves are estimated at 22 billion barrels. foreign capital investments by Cupet, the According to Suárez, Cupet has already Cuban government and its authorities signed 42 contracts with companies from and operators and current suppliers of a diverse range of interests. key services. Its primary endeavors to promote They also learned about present foreign investment include the signing exploration and production projects, the of agreements for increased production, petrochemical and refinery sectors and unconventional oil and the development relevant existing legislation. of an oil infrastructure for technical Cupet, celebrating its 25th anniversary services and the supply of resources. on March 25, is responsible for oil and The entity also has a presence at the gas exploration and production and the Mariel Special Development Zone through Vladimir Molina commercialization of both. the execution of four projects, one of them The Cuba-Petróleo Union, comprising a high-tech lubricant plant. PHOTOs: PHOTOs: 35 state companies and several joint Commercial priorities include the Cuba‘s openness to enhanced now is to increase that amount through ventures, has a staff of 23,264 -- 37% of transfer of technology to ensure a strong levels of foreign investment for collaborations with foreign partners.” which are women. market presence and infrastructural national hydrocarbon production The Cuba Oil & Gas 2017 Summit, It also has a high degree of developments to facilitate increased development strategies was outlined organized jointly by the International scientific-technical