CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Pakistan for Strengthened Links with Cuba.

PAKISTAN, March 21, 2011.- Prime Minister of Pakistan Yusuf Raza Gilani has urged for strengthened relations with Cuba during a meeting with Cuban Ambasador Jesús Zenen Buergo.

According to an official release of the Pakistani Government, Gilani called for promoting economic and commercial links based on the enormous stock of goodwill existing between both peoples.

He recalled that the Bilateral Cooperation Agreement signed in 2009 serves as the legal framework to broaden those links and suggested that Islamabad and Havana may cooperate in producing vaccines against Hepatitis B and create joint ventures in biotechnology.

Gilani also urged for creating a Joint Economic Commission as soon as possible in order to start official trade between both countries.

During the meeting, Gilani and the Cuban diplomat also discussed the possibility to send a Pakistani business delegation to Cuba, the formation of parliamentary groups of friendship and a trip to Havana by the Pakistani minister of Sports in order to sign a cooperation agreement with Cuban sports authorities.

Gilani also thanked the Cuban Government for sending a contingent of 2,465 doctors and paramedics to Pakistan in the wake of the devastating quake of October, 2005, and granting 1,000 medical scholarships. (Cubaminrex-PL)