Havana, Cuba.- The head of the General Customs Office of the Republic of Cuba (AGRC), Nelson Cordoves, said on Thursday that this Caribbean nation keeps tenaciously fighting terrorism and drug trafficking in the region.

The executive told Prensa Latina that this work will be improved with the establishment of the Caribbean Customs Organization (OAC, in Spanish), founded on Wednesday in Havana as part of the 41st Annual Caribbean Council Conference for Application of Customs Laws (CCALA).

Cuba’s inclusion as an OAC member State will favor the implementation of much more efficient coordination mechanisms in the region while it will facilitate greater collaboration among customs administrations, Cordoves said.

He also noted that Cuba was actively participating until now as a guest and not as a member of CCALA activities.

This is due to a clause that vetoes Cuba’s entry by requiring the unanimous approval of its members for accepting new countries, which the United States uses to prevent the entry of Cuba.

On the other hand, he stressed that the holding of the Conference for the first time in Havana is a recognition to the good Cuban customs practices and encourages to improve its work.

The conclave will also be propitious to analyze in depth the work of these entities in the region, compliance with the law, confrontation with contraband and other illegal activities, he said.

Another issue to be addressed in the three-day meeting -in which representatives of about 20 countries are participating- will be the improvement of the sector that will allow a more effective exercise in the current context.