Turkey to send contractors to Cuba

Cicek: Turkey to send contractors to Cuba
The New Anatolian / Ankara
26 March 2008

Turkish State Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek said Tuesday
Turkey may send a team of contractors to Cuba this year.

"Turkey attaches particular importance to Cuba as a part of its strategy
to open to Latin America and Caribbeans," Cicek told participants of the
Eighth Term Meeting of Turkish-Cuban Joint Economic Committee (JEC) in
capital Ankara.

Cicek welcomed the rise in trade volume between Turkey and Cuba to 34
billion USD in 2007, and said there are many cooperation opportunities
between the two countries.

"However, we have to speed up bureaucratic procedures and diversify
projects," he told.

On the other hand, Marta Lomas Morales, Cuban Minister for Foreign
Investments and Economic Cooperation, said 41 of 234 foreign companies
operated in industry and agriculture in Cuba last year.

Morales said 54 percent of those companies were of Spanish, Canadian and
Italian origin.

A loan of 10 million euros lent by Turkey to Cuba through Eximbank was
used in renovation of dams, and irrigation and electricity works,
Morales said.

Morales said there was no problem in repayment of the loan, and said she
believes there is political will in both countries to sign a contract
for another tranche of loan worth 15 million euros.

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