Delegations from Cuba and the United States met to establish a Plan for Bilateral Coordination as part of the implementation of an Agreement signed by both countries in the field of cooperation on the preparedness and response to the pollution caused by discharges of hydrocarbons and other harmful or potentially hazardous substances in the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Straits.
The Cuban delegation was composed of representatives of the Ministries of Transportation, the Interior, Energy and Mines, Science, Technology and the Environment, Foreign Affairs, and the National Civil Defense General Staff while the U.S. delegation was composed by representatives of the Department of State and the Coast Guard Service.
The working sessions were held yesterday and today in Fort Lauderdale, in the State of Florida, in a professional and mutually respectful ambiance. This exchange reflects the importance of bilateral cooperation for the protection of the marine environment in a region of great economic importance for both countries as is the Gulf Mexico and the Florida Straits.