GRTU meets candidate for Hon Consul for Malta in Guatemala

GRTU met Mr Acisclo Valladares Urruela, candidate for Hon Consul in Guatemala. Mr Urruela is Guatemalan by nationality and is married.  He has a Masters in Business Administration and also a Masters in Laws. Ha has in the past worked as Chief of Corporate Affairs, Legal and Inter-Institutional Affairs Director- Comcel, External Relations Department Manager for Central America- The Procter & Gamble Company, Associate Attorney and Migrant Affairs Delegate. His areas of expertise are in Corporate law, Contract law and civil litigation, Infrastructure project finananced, International Business Transactions. He speaks Spanish, English, French and Italian. Mr Urruela's interests are to travel through the world.

In Guatemala the distribution of income remains highly unequal with more than half of the population below the national poverty line. In recent years the exporter sector of non-traditional products has grown dynamically representing more than 53% of global exports. Some main products for exports are fruits, vegetables, flowers, handicrafts, cloths and others. Mines produce gold, silver, zinc, cobalt and nickel. The agricultural sector accounts for about ine-fourth of GDP, two-fifths of exports and half of the labour force. Organic coffee, sugar, taxtiles, fresh vegetables, and bananas are the country's main exports.Tourism has become an increasing source of revenue for Guatemala.

Mr Urruela said he is very familiar with the port of Guatemala and that this is presently owned by the state. GRTU representatives and Mr Urruela spoke in length on the possible privatisation of the port of Guatemala and GRTU gave him an explanation of the Maltese case. He said that currently there isn't the political momentum that is needed for privatisation but it will be something that will happen in the near future and that the port needs an investment of around 3 million to become competitive.

GRTU also explained opportunities of warehousing in Malta as a hub and a stepping stone to Europe. Currently there is no tourism flow between Malta and Guatemala, we have no Guatemalan vessels registered with the Malta Maritime Authority and we have no companies registered with MFSA with Guatemalan shareholding.