Brazil and Cuba on Tuesday signed 10 agreements covering oil exploration, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and agriculture during Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva's official visit to Cuba.
At a ceremony at the Palace of the Revolution in Cuba's capital Havana, Brazilian president Lula signed for his nation while Raul Castro, who has been acting president since July 2006, signed for Cuba.
More important agreements include a memorandum of understanding allowing Brazilian state-owned energy company Petrobras to explore and produce oil and gas in Cuban-owned Gulf of Mexico waters. Petrobras joints companies from Spain, Canada, India and Malaysia in exploring this area.
A second memorandum agreed to set up a feasibility study on a possible joint venture to produce and sell lubricants in Cuba.
In another document Brazil's Financing and Export Guarantee Committee (Copfig) approved lending for Cuban food purchases, the expansion of Cuba's Ernesto Guevara Nickel Plant and the purchase of Cuban fish farming equipment. Cofig also agreed to look at a series of projects from hotels to pharmaceuticals.
Brazilian Foreign Ministry said food credits might be worth as much as 100 million U.S. dollars,
Da Silva, who arrived in Havana on Monday night, will spend just over 24 hours in Cuba. He placed a floral wreath on the grave on 19th century Cuban hero Jose Marti at a ceremony held on Tuesday. He was accompanied by Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe PerezRoque.
On Monday, Lula attended the swearing in ceremony of new Guatemala president Alvaro Colom, in Guatemala City.
During his visit to Cuba he will visit the nation's Latin America School of Medicine and the Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Center, both on the outskirts of Havana.
Source:Xinhua
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