At the Government House, H.E. Mr. Héctor Conde Almeida, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Thailand, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha on occasion of his completion of tenure. Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister and Acting Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri disclosed about gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister was pleased to meet with Cuban Ambassador again, and thanked him for his active role in promoting relations between Thailand and Cuba throughout the 6 years of his tenure. The two countries have had cordial relations for over 64 years, especially in the areas of public health and medical researches, and agriculture. Thailand stands ready to push forward cooperation in other dimensions of mutual interest, including cooperation under the ASEAN and UN frameworks. The Prime Minister also conveyed his regards to President Miguel Díaz-Canel, and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz of Cuba.
The Ambassador affirmed that Thailand is Cuba’s good friend. On occasion of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries on May 15, 2023, the Ambassador, on behalf of the Cuban government and people, expressed appreciation on Thailand’s constant support. This year would be a good opportunity for the two countries to expand cooperation and share experiences in scientific and technology. The Ambassador also committed to hand over pending works and responsibilities to the incoming Cuban Ambassador to Thailand to ensure continuous progress of cooperation.
Both parties also discussed other issues of mutual interest:
On healthcare and medical research cooperation, they came to terms on the development of medical treatment and wellness. The Prime Minister thanked Cuban government for biotechnology and pharmaceuticals technology transfer under an action plan and agreement on public health cooperation between Thai and Cuban Ministry of Public Health, which greatly benefits quality of life of the Thai people. The Ambassador affirmed Cuba’s pleasure to exchange knowhow and technology on vaccine production with Thailand.
Thailand and Cuba have forged economic and technical cooperation throughout the past 20 years. The Prime Minister hoped for tangible cooperation in the fields of public health, agriculture, and tourism. Thailand is pleased to share knowledge and experiences on rice production and ecotourism, and would like to learn from Cuba’s expertise on biotechnology, medicine and public health, especially on family doctors.
On sports and youth cooperation, Thai Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has been working together with the Embassy of Cuba to Thailand on children and youth development in the areas of sports, physical education, music, and arts. With regards to multilateral cooperation, the Cuban Ambassador expressed confidence that Cuba’s G77 chairmanship in 2023 would be a good opportunity to expand cooperation for mutual interest of member countries. The Prime Minister congratulated Cuba’s G77 chairmanship, and commended the country’s constant interaction with ASEAN. He expressed belief that the two countries could work together to drive forward regional cooperation. (PRD)
