Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe will visit Cuba from January 3 through 6, leading a marketing and collaboration mission that his press office is already describing as “historic.”
Governor McAuliffe to lead historic marketing and collaboration mission to Cuba. https://t.co/94SZCHTjxx
— Governor Ralph Northam (@VAGovernor73) January 1, 2016
Elected in November 2013, Governor McAuliffe is the fourth American governor to visit Cuba following the thaw that started in December 17, 2014 – after Andrew Cuomo (New York), Asa Hutchinson (Arkansas) and Gregory Abbott (Texas).
During his visit, Governor McAuliffe will hold talks with senior Cuban executives and government representatives on the export of Virginia agricultural goods, and ties in maritime transportation, higher education and the fine arts.
Speaking about the mission, Governor McAuliffe said:
“As relations between our nations continue to normalize, this mission will further enhance Virginia’s position by expanding current agricultural export business, achieving new agricultural exports, and opening the doors to future collaboration into additional sectors that are key to our efforts to build a new Virginia economy.”
The mission has been planned in collaboration with Cuban authorities. In January 2015, when current Cuban Ambassador to the U.S. José R. Cabañas was still Chief of Mission, he was invited by the McAuliffe administration to visit Virginia and to be the keynote speaker at the Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade.
According to a press release from McAuliffe’s office, that was Cabañas’ first U.S. visit beyond Washington, D.C.
In Havana, Governor McAuliffe will host a business reception with Virginia companies and Cuban officials at the residence of United States Ambassador Jeffery DeLaurentis.
The Governor has voiced his position against the U.S. embargo, as a major obstacle for business interests:
“Ending the embargo will create jobs here at home. From rural Virginia to our world-class ports, lifting these arcane trade and travel restrictions will create new employment and economic opportunities for Virginia companies. It will also open new opportunities for Cuban products to be imported to the United States. If we can do business with other countries from around the world, we ought to be able to freely conduct business with a country that’s our next door neighbor”.
Accompanying the Governor will be First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore, Secretary of Health and Human Resources William Hazel, Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson and representatives from Virginia Commonwealth University, the Port of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.
