Little is known about the trade relations between Mexico and Havana regarding hydrocarbons, but what if, far from being a commercial issue as most people think, it is rather an issue that involves solidarity intentions hiding a different purpose.
And the constant difficulties that Havana is going through, derive not only from the last pandemic of COVID-19 that was experienced in 2020, this has an even more disturbing picture, which, of course involves a nation with sufficient economic and governmental influence at the global level, with the ability to do and undo; the United States of America. Its relations with the USA, has antecedents that are certainly worth talking about and debating, but in the subject that concerns us, it was in 1996 when the then president of the United States, Bill Clinton, ordered the publication of the so-called Helms-Burton Act, which in a few words consisted in the denial of credit and financial aid to countries and organizations that favored or promoted cooperation with Cuba, as well as setting difficulties for the arrival of foreign investment in Havana, this Act was reapplied with the arrival of President Donald Trump after more than 20 years in suspense, with the aim of internationalizing the Cuban blockade.
After the complexity and conflicts involved in this event, several countries have opted to restrict their relations with the island, but this did not happen with Mexico, because after the arrival of our current head of the Executive Power, the position regarding this, emanated in a feeling of solidarity and cooperation, in which helping was the main purpose of the president, even if this could involve resources belonging to the people.
After the acute crises that Havana is going through related to the supply of gasoline, which derive in large part from the above, it is currently impossible to cover the needs of its population on its own, covering with difficulty only 40% of them, and importing the rest from other countries, among them, Mexico.
Facing unsustainability
According to hard data, during the months of June and July, Mexico transported approximately one million barrels of crude oil by ship as a donation, such movement reflected a total expenditure of almost 77 million dollars, according to a Reuters investigation. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs revealed that the movements were carried out through the Agency of International Cooperation for the Development of the country. For his part, Mexican journalist Gerardo Enriquez Aburto, revealed that the shipment was purchased and invoiced to the company “Gasolinas del Bienestar SA. de CV.”, located at Marina Nacional 329, Edificio central de Pemex, even though it was confirmed that the final destination of this crude oil was Havana, Cuba. Therefore, it added that there was a legal irregularity in such movements.
All this in exchange for the island sending hundreds of doctors to our country, in order to thank them for the great act of generosity towards them.
However, now that oil reference prices have increased by 25% percent, Pemex has opened itself to the possibility of starting to sell crude oil to that country, since a year ago the average price of a barrel of oil was between 80.22 dollars and for September of this year it is at 85.41 dollars, which generates economic noise for the company, added to this, Mexico is facing its biggest fiscal deficit in more than three decades, so the Federal Government insists on the possibility of stopping donating it and starting to commercialize it. But this could have repercussions for the Mexican state, due to trade sanctions by the United States towards Cuba.
Mexico limited itself to exporting oil to Cuba in the month of August, and will maintain that position for the current month, but this does not qualify the multiple observations that are being made regarding its generous activity, which although it is not classified as commercial, it is indisputable that no other type of benefit has been obtained, and for a country whose productive enterprise is in debt to the tune of 110 billion dollars, the figures are questionable for some. Although it is worth adding that our country currently has a daily production of 1.7 million barrels, so the questioning leads us to think whether the donations that have been made to the Cuban island really affect us as a country, or whether it is more a strategic issue to make Havana dependent on our supply, and later (now) to be able to offer the export of crude oil at an economic price, there are several points to consider, which undoubtedly leave doubts in the air, since the sanctions against the country will make it difficult to resolve the issue quickly and without repercussions for Mexico. An interesting task, which involves the solidarity that the current government has been profaning since its campaigns, but is it solidarity, or something else?.
