How Cuba Fits into Brazil’s Plans

An agreement with Cuba is consistent with the Mercosur’s strategy of building a Community of South American or Latin American Nations. On October 18, a Cuban representative was present in Montevideo at the signing of a free trade protocol between the Mercosur and the countries that belong to the Andean Community.

“The presence of Mexico and Cuba in our midst and the prospect of having similar free trade agreements with them, too, encourage us to contemplate a genuinely strong and developed Latin America with much greater negotiating capacity in international forums,” the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, reflected at the time.


It is believed that the transfer of power to the new Uruguayan President, Tabaré Vázquez, at the beginning of 2005, may facilitate future agreements between the Mercosur and Cuba.


The left-wing Progressive Encounter-Broad Front coalition that backed the new President has already declared that it favors the immediate reinstatement of the country’s relations with Cuba.


Cuba Trade


Total exports from Mercosur to Cuba reached US$ 154.2 million between January and August of this year, an increase of 168%, compared to the same perí­od 2003. Out of that total, Brazil exported 55.1% and Argentina exported 41%.


With regard to imports by Mercosur from Cuba, the total was US$ 32.5 million for the same period, up 273% over 2003. Brazil imports 98% of all Cuban imports to the Mercosur block.


As can be seen, Mercosur is running a surplus of US$ 121.7 million in its trade with Cuba this year.


The participation of the other Mercosur members, Paraguay and Uruguay, in trade with Cuba is practically null (3.9% of exports and 0.2% of imports).


Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein

Tags:

You May Also Like

Court of Audit Finds Chaos in Brazil’s Nuclear Installations

Published this weekend by Rio daily O Globo, a report by a Brazilian official ...

Indians from 9 States Repudiate Brazil’s Indian Foundation

The 6th Meeting of Brazil’s Association of Indigenous Peoples of the Northeast, Minas Gerais ...

The State’s heavy hand

Actor Guilherme Fontes, through some very good contacts in the federal government, has assured ...

Morocco Gives Brazil One or Two Lessons in Trade

OCP Group (Office Chérifien des Phosphates), a Moroccan state-owned company that operates in mining, ...

Brazil Drafts Taxi Drivers and Hotels for Kid Prostitution Crackdown

The state of Pernambuco, which, according to Brazil's Ministry of Tourism, ranks fourth among ...

In Washington for Summit Lula Once Again Comes in Defense of Iran

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, along with 43 other world leaders and ...

Brazil Teaches 4,000 Small Businesses How to Sell Overseas

They want to see Brazilian small businesses prepared to compete on the foreign market. ...

Brazil to Send Observers to Palestinian Elections

At the invitation of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Brazil is going to send ...

Brazil’s Most Wanted Drug Lord Tells in Jail Half of His Fortune Was Spent Bribing Police

As Brazilian authorities work to take back control of favelas (slums) from the hands ...

Brazilian Mission in London Wants to See Jean Charles Video

Wagner Gonçalves, the prosecutor who heads the Brazilian mission sent to London to accompany ...