Havana - Cuban legislators are discussing today the socioeconomic and political issues, in preparation for the Ninth Ordinary Period of Session of the Eighth Legislature of the National People''s Power Assembly, convened for July 14.

One of the issues to be analyzed today will be the relationships between Cuba and the United States, current state and perspectives. Legislators stressed yesterday the broad position held by Cuba in the international arena. Legislator Kenia Serrano highlighted the timely and forceful support of the Cuban National Assembly to the progressive processes of the Latin American region in the face of the reactionary offensive, which in the case of Venezuela, it takes on a form of terrorism, she says.

In the Committee on Economic Affairs, Cuban Economy and Planning Minister, Ricardo Cabrisas, informed that the Caribbean island is working on updating its portfolio of business opportunities, which will be released in October.

The document will be made public in the context of the 35th International Havana Fair, in which more than 450 projects in several sectors of the economy will be recognized, Cabrisas says.

He pointed out that the annual plan of investments and constructions is expected to be fulfilled to 85 percent.

However, it will surpass the previous year by 21 percent, standing out the effort in investments associated with strategic programs, Cabrisas stressed.

Investments were approved, in two businesses in execution and for 11 new ones, five of them at the Mariel Special Development Zone and six outside of that area, he said.

Drought continues to be a fundamental element to explain some of the drawbacks in fulfilling economic plans, he stated.

The performance of the national economy is not isolated from the turbulent international environment, where discriminatory trends predominate to the underdeveloped economies and sensitive political and social situations in Latin American brother countries, he reflected.

All this is aggravated by the persistence of the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed more than 50 years by the United States, he reiterated.

Among other issues, lawmakers called to work to strengthen community work in the country and media get a picture of what is happening in the country's neighborhoods.

Cuban lawmakers are also debating today on their working commissions the progress of the improvement in the teaching of history and the evaluation of the impact of traffic accidents in the economy and the society, among others.