Cuba Expects Extensive Cooperation With Indonesia

JAKARTA, Oct 12 (Antara) - The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cuba to Indonesia, Nirsia Castro Guevara, has expressed the hope that the two countries can have broader and closer cooperation in various fields. Such cooperation can especially be in the economic sector that includes trade and investment, she added. "Indonesia should embrace Cuba in order to strengthen bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries," she said in a special interview with Antara here on Tuesday. However, she added, Indonesians lack information about Cuba, and vice versa, and that remains one of the challenges that both the sides must address in order to improve bilateral cooperation which has not been optimally explored. "One of Cuba's developed sectors recognized by the international community is its health system, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the country as a model of health care for all countries in the world," Ambassador Nirsia reminded. According to her, although until now Cuba had remained blockaded by the United States, the country's health system has successfully opened access to all levels of society. The success of the Cuban health system, the ambassador explained, was the country¿s decision to promote preventive measures, including access to medicines. As of now, the cooperation between Indonesia and Cuba is strongly associated with health sector. In 2006, the health agencies of the two countries had signed an agreement to develop a vaccine for dengue fever and malaria. The bilateral relations between Indonesia and this South American country were established during the era of President Sukarno. The diplomatic relations between the two countries were shaped by the first President of Indonesia who shared a friendly relationship with Cuba's President, Fidel Castro.