(VOVworld) – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo headed a trade mission of 20 businessmen which landed in Cuba on Monday.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is the first US governor to visit Cuba since the US shifted its policy toward the Caribbean country. (Photo: CNN)

Addressing the opening ceremony of the New York-Cuba business forum, he said that he was proud to be the first US governor to visit since the US and Cuba began to normalise diplomatic ties, adding that he would do his utmost to push forward with normalisation. Mr Cuomo said that most New Yorkers supported efforts by US President Barack Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro to begin a new chapter in US-Cuba relations. He also said that he supported the lifting of the embargo on Cuba.
Earlier Mr Cuomo met with the Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, to discuss potential trade co-operation opportunities in the future.