Cuban, American business leaders plan Cuban summit in D.C.

The Economist will sponsor a summit of policymakers and business leaders from the United States and Cuba on Dec. 3 in Washington, D.C.

The meeting will focus on clarifying the warming of diplomatic relations between the two countries for businesses and investors. Speakers will discuss the short- and- long-term risk outlook for investors interested in the Cuban market as well as the realities of doing business with the island nation.

One of the speakers will be Omar Everleny Perez Villanueva, an economics professor and researcher at the University of Havana.

"This Summit, well-timed around the one year anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, presents an important occasion to better understand the transformations taking place," Everleny said.

Other speakers include executives from Caterpillar, Cargill, Inc., Stonegate Bank, Havana Energy and the United Nations.

"This is an important event for anyone considering whether or not to take the plunge in Cuba, as well as those already operating there," Cuba Summit Event Chair and Senior Editor for the Economist Michael Reid said.

President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced the restoration of relations between the two countries on Dec. 17 of last year. Ever since, investors from around the world have been positioning themselves to take advantage of the opening market.