The agreements signed include the provision of optometry services, the
improvement of the quality of life of people suffering from diabetes,
technical assistance for forestry and agricultural management, as well as
the restoration and installation of power plants, including small water
power generators.

The contracts also establish institutional support to the Mision Comercio
Socialista (Socialist Trade Mission) in Venezuela in 2012, and an accord
between the ministries of civil aviation of the two countries to guarantee
the transportation of passengers and cargos linked to social programs.

The closing session of the meeting was presided over by the Commission’s
co-presidents: Ricardo Cabrisas, Vice President of the Cuban Council of
Ministers, and Rafael Ramirez Carreño, Venezuela’s Vice President and also
Minister of Oil and Mining of that South American nation.

Also present were the Venezuelan ambassador to Havana, Edgardo Ramirez,
and the Cuban representative in Caracas, Rogelio Polanco, as well as
ministers and officials from entities involved in bilateral cooperation
projects.

Ramirez Carreño told reporters that the contracts signed during the
meeting are worth nearly $11 billion. He noted that Cuba and Venezuela
have been working since 2010 to implement a bilateral trade unity as part
of which they have already identified more than 50 projects in three
categories.

During the Twelfth Session of the Cuba-Venezuela Intergovernmental
Commission, both sides discussed and ratified 47 cooperation projects in
the sectors of education, sports, culture, agriculture, energy, and
transportation.