Portugal had a busy weekend abroad, with two delegations discussing bilateral ties, one with Iran and the other with Cuba.
The 17-member delegation visiting Iran’s Qazvin City was made up of three mayors, deputy economy ministers, academicians and experts in the tourism, sports, commercial and industrial sectors.
Studies for “bilateral interactions” began almost six months ago when Portuguese foreign affairs minister Rui Machete met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif at a UN General Assembly meeting in New York. Zarif said at the time: “If proper grounds are paved, economic cooperation can further expand.”
Meanwhile, the 34th Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid saw Secretary of State for Tourism Adolfo Mesquita expressing “interest in boosting bilateral ties in the sector” with his Cuban counterpart Manuel Marrero.
Both officials agreed the goal would benefit the two countries, said a press release put out by the Cuban Embassy, mentioning that Marrero had already spoken with a number of Portuguese business people, including representatives of the Pestana hotel group.
About 9,440 Portuguese visited Cuba in 2013, said the release – a slight increase on figures for the previous year – while this year, tour operators are organising charter flights to Cuba’s Varadero beach on Saturdays, from June 7 to September 20.
Photo: Varadero beach – around 9,400 Portuguese visited Cuba in 2013
