Prospects for expanding trade and economic ties between the EAEU countries and Cuba were discussed in Havana during the fourth meeting of the joint commission on interaction between the Eurasian Economic Commission and the Government of the Republic of Cuba co-chaired by Daniiar Imanaliev, the EEC Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics, and Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment of the Republic of Cuba.

The two sides considered the prospects for interaction in such fields as industry, agricultural sector, transport, tourism, applying sanitary, phytosanitary and veterinary measures, consumer protection. The key emphasis was placed on establishing and developing direct contacts between the business communities. The meeting noted a growing interest of businesses of the EAEU and Cuba to congress and exhibition activities held on their territory.

Daniiar Imanaliev and Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga summed up the implementation of the action plan of the Commission and the Cuban Government.

"The plan is fully implemented, the sectoral seminars held helped familiarize our Cuban partners with the EAEU regulatory practice in detail as well as explore the Cuban initiatives in the field of logistics, biotechnology, agriculture and industry," the EEC Minister said. "There is an active work on a new draft plan that we will implement until 2030; it is now considered by the EEC with the involvement of the Union countries.

Vice President of the Cuban Council of Ministers proposed that the new plan envisages activities promoting cooperation between business circles and facilitating practical implementation of joint projects.

The meeting addressed such promising key trade growth drivers as cooperation in biotechnology and creating a logistics hub on the island. These projects could not only increase the mutual trade volume but also make it easier for companies from the EAEU countries to access promising markets of Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to Daniiar Imanaliev, there is a comprehensive work to develop the concept of an Observer State at the Union. "This is one of the ways to address the objective of ensuring functioning of the EAEU as a pole of economic attraction on the international stage," he told. "In 2026, it is planned to identify areas of economic cooperation of mutual interest to fulfil our association's trade and economic potential efficiently."