The Mozambiquan president, Armando Guebuza, is on a three day official visit to Cuba honouring an invitation from Cuban president, Raul Castro, to define priorities governing cooperation between the two countries.
Raul Castro was elected by the Cuban Parliament last week to after Fidel Castro, his brother who ruled Cuba for almost five decades, resigned from active public duty due to ill health.
Mr. Guebuza, the first head of state to visit Cuba since the change of government, will be discussing issues such as the technical assistance his country receives from Cuba in various fields including ; education, health, science and technology as well as youth and sports. He’ll also talk about continued scholarships for Mozambiquans in Cuban universities.
Cuba has one of the biggest divers Mozambiquan student communities in the world, while hundres of Mozambiquan doctors work in Cuban hospitals under the two countries’ agreement.
This cooperation stretches to other domaines like tourism and agriculture which are of particular interest to Mozambique.
Cuba possesses a highly developed tourism sector with over 2 million international visitors per year – even from the U.S., despite a continued embargo against Cuba by U.S. administrations for almost half a century.
These sanctions have made life dificult for the masses, but has not succeeded in getting rid of the regime in power. This embargo has drawn frequent criticisms from a majority of UN member states.
Member states voted in 2006 to lift this embargo at a UN General Assembly, during which only three countries backed the United States, namely, Israel, and the small pacific island states of Palau and Marshall.
Cuba also produces antiretroviral drugs and and makes about 400 million dollars from biotechnology, which is quite developped in the country.
These are the two main sectors that interests the Mozambiquan government.
AMong Mr. Guebuza’s delegation are ; the Foreign Minister, Alcinda Abreu, Minister of Health, Ivo Garrido, Minister of Science and Technology, Venancio Massingue. The rest are Minister of Industry and Commerce, Antonio Fernando and the Minister of Education and Culture, Aires Aly.
With Panapress
