The Governments of Cuba and Mexico agreed to “broaden and deepen” their collaboration in health, during the official visit of the president Miguel Diaz-Canel to that country.
In a meeting between the Cuban president and his Mexican counterpart, together with their respective delegations, both leaders confirmed the deepening of ties, “framed within the signed agreement during the visit of President (Andrés Manuel) López Obrador to Cuba”, points out a statement of the presidency of Mexico, which does not provide further details on this matter.
However, the note indicates that the parties “referred to the acquisition of Abdala vaccines and medicines required by the Mexican public health system.”
In addition, “they highlighted the work of the 610 Cuban medical specialists who provide services in highly marginalized areas of our country and of the 429 Mexican doctors who study specialties in Cuba,” the text states, aforementioned by official Cuban media.
The official visit of the President of the Republic of Cuba to Mexico concludes.https://t.co/5sCG6PwhOq pic.twitter.com/o0sAQp7NJN
– Government of Mexico (@GobiernoMX) February 12, 2023
“In this vein, and with the aim of sharing bilateral cooperation at a regional level, Cuba accepted Mexico’s invitation to be a co-sponsor of the Latin American and Caribbean Health Regulation Agency, which seeks to unify regulatory efforts, streamline processes, reduce costs and generate access to technical capacities in the region”, adds the communication.
In the talks, held in the state of Campeche, both parties also “welcomed” for the “significant progress” in the “implementation of the Rural Development and Strengthening of Local, Economic, Social and Environmental Cooperation Program, coordinated by the Mexican Agency for International Development Cooperation (Amexcid), which will benefit around five thousand farmers in the provinces of Artemisa and Mayabeque”.
At the end of this intense day in Campeche, the delegations of #Cuba ?? and #Mexico ??, headed by the presidents @DiazCanelB and @lopezobrador_They held official talks. pic.twitter.com/8WrG9V5TCL
— Presidency Cuba ?? (@PresidenciaCuba) February 12, 2023
During Díaz-Canel’s visit to Mexico, at the invitation of López Obrador, the Cuban president was awarded the order of the Aztec Eagle, in necklace gradethe rank given to Heads of State.
“I believe that for their fight in defense of the sovereignty of their country, the people of Cuba represented by their president deserve the award of dignity and that island should be considered the new Numancia,” said the Mexican president when delivering the order, which was considered “a very high honor” by the winner.
It is a very high honor to receive the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, a decoration that symbolizes the origin, identity and strength of this endearing nation.
I receive it with humility and infinite gratitude, aware that the true deserving party is the heroic Cuban people. pic.twitter.com/Lw8GIhk2ZI
— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) February 11, 2023
As part of his trip, Díaz-Canel met with Cuban health collaborators in Campeche and visited the archaeological zone of Edzná together with López Obrador, where they supervised the works of the Mayan Train. It is a project in which Cuba “contributed deposits for the extraction of around 20,000 tons of rock for the ballast required by the railway”, says the statement from the Mexican presidency.
In addition, during the visit, the Government of Mexico “ratified its unrestricted condemnation” of the United States embargo/blockade against Cuba, and declared “its intention to lead the efforts of the international community to eliminate this action that President López Obrador described as unfair and inhumane”.
Likewise, the Mexican Executive reiterated the “imperative need” for Cuba to be removed from the “arbitrary list of State sponsors of terrorism of the United States Department of State”, a title that, the statement points out, “prevents international financial transactions and hinders operations of foreign companies, which encourages shortages of basic products”.
Cuba and Mexico are experiencing one of the best moments in their bilateral relations since the arrival of López Obrador to the presidency. AMLO has repeatedly advocated for the end of United States sanctions against the island and has promoted cooperation and aid to Cuba, in addition to visiting the country and receiving Díaz-Canel on several occasions.
