Above: Havana

By the Caribbean Journal staff

A group of Nicaraguan entrepreneurs are on a visit to Cuba this week in an effort to boost commercial ties between the two countries.

The delegation from Nicaragua’s Chamber of Industry was met by a group of Cuban businessmen Sunday at the Hotel Nacional in Havana.

The effort is an attempt to increase bilateral trade between the two countries, which has not surpassed $2 million annually in recent years, according to Celia Labora, an official of Cuba’s Chamber of Commerce.

Much of the two countries’ trade is currently dominated by vaccines, disinfectants and medicine, along with wood, auto parts and plastic pipes, Labora said.

The aim is to expand that to new opportunities in areas like energy, industry and tourism, the two sides said in a release.

Both countries are members of the recently-announced PetroCaribe Economic Zone, although it’s not yet clear what shape the regional grouping might take.Miguel Diaz-Canel, the new First Vice President of Cuba’s Council of State and Ministers, recently called for expanded integration in the Caribbean and Latin American region.

Diaz-Canel, speaking at the recent Association of Caribbean States summit in Haiti, said regional integration would be a major priority for Cuba.