PS Taga receives a courtesy call from the Cuban Ambassador to Fiji

Fiji and Cuba aim to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in key areas of development such as health services, agriculture, sugar industry, and disaster mitigation and resilience.

This was articulated today during a courtesy call paid to the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr Raijeli Taga from the Ambassador of Cuba, His Excellency José Manuel Galego Montano. The meeting convened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters was an avenue to explore opportunities to further deepen the mutual collaboration between the two countries.

Dr Taga in her remarks acknowledged Cuba’s support to Fiji through the provision of medical scholarships to Fijian students and its positive contributions to Fiji’s health services. Since the inception of the Bachelor Degree in Surgery and Medicine (MBBS) scholarship in 2011, around 250 students from the Pacific including more than 25 Fijian students have benefitted from the medical scholarships provided by Cuba.

The meeting today highlighted Cuba’s commitment to further build on the success of this vital cooperation in health. It also outlined prospects for engagements in professional sports development with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed last year between Fiji’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and Cuba’s National Institute of Sports.

Dr Taga said the Ministry looks forward to working together with the Cuban Embassy in Suva to further enhance the cooperation on issues of mutual importance to both the nations.

Ambassador Montano reaffirmed Cuba’s commitment to deepen the collaboration with Fiji. He thanked Dr Taga for the constructive discussions pursued on advancing shared goals on sustainable development and prosperity.

Fiji and Cuba established diplomatic relations in 2002 and in 2020 the two nations signed the Visa Exemption Agreement which set the foundation for enduring cooperation between Cuba, Fiji and Pacific neighbours.