Venezuela-Cuba trade this year will amount to USD 1.2 billion, excluding Venezuelan oil sales to the island, which represents a 20 percent increase compared to 2005, according to Venezuelan Government estimations.

The Venezuelan Minister of Integration and Foreign Trade, Gustavo Márquez, told the Venezuelan official news agency ABN that his office estimates that Venezuela-Cuba trade balance would add up to USD 1.2 billion boosted by the Venezuelan exports to the island.

Márquez stressed that 80 percent of the trade balance corresponds to Cuban purchases of Venezuelan goods and services.

In 2007, Venezuela expects "to triple exports of Venezuelan goods and services to Cuba," ABN reported.

Source: El Universal.com