HAVANA, Cuba, Oct 15 (acn) Cuban Foreign Trade and Investment Minister Rodrigo Malmierca analyzes on Thursday bilateral relations with Lebanese Foreign Minister (FM) Gebran Bassil, after arriving in Beirut heading a business delegation, Prensa Latina reported.
Malmierca was accompanied by Orlando Hernandez, president of the island’s Chamber of Commerce, to participate in the second bi-national economic forum with the Lebanese-Cuban Council of Businessmen, headed by Ali Kazma.

The meeting with Bassil at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry will be his first contact with Lebanese authorities, after being welcomed at that country’s airport by Kazma, a representative of the Minister of the Economy and Trade, Alain Hakim, and Cuban ambassador, Rene Ceballo.
Bassil visited Cuba in February heading a delegation of Lebanese businessmen, and was interested in several development plans and investment options offered by the island.
The Cuban delegation is also composed of Deborah Rivas, Director of Investments of the Ministry of Foreign Trade; Rafael Jimeno, director of North Africa and the Middle East of that ministry, and officials of the ministries of Tourism and Industry.
Also traveling to the Arab nation were specialists of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and of the Special Development of Mariel, a project that encouraged investment initiatives of 24 Lebanese businessmen when they previously visited it.
The chairman of Lebanese-Cuban Businessmen Council said that his first trip to Cuba opened many business opportunities and motivated to work hard to ensure the success of the bi-national forum that will take place on Friday in Beirut.
He added that another priority is to ensure Lebanese presence at Havana’s International Trade Fair, to be held in November, and that 12 national companies have confirmed their presence.
For his part, Lebanese Minister Alain Hakim championed the development of high-level economic and trade relations with Cuba, a desire shared by businessmen and representatives of the island.