During a meeting held between the new Ambassador of Cuba to Sri Lanka Andres Marcelo Gonzalez Garrido and Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena yesterday (29) at the Foreign Ministry, the possibility to forge further cooperation in the areas of pharmaceutical and vaccine production was discussed. Cuba’s health authorities have stated that the domestically produced Abdala vaccine has proven to be 92% effective against the coronavirus in clinical trials. With a view to enhance the cordial relations prevailing at all levels between Sri Lanka and Cuba, the Foreign Minister discussed a wide-range of bilateral matters with Ambassador Garrido. These included cooperating on coconut and sugarcane cultivation and Spanish language courses in Sri Lanka. During the meeting, Gunawardena conveyed President Rajapaksa’s appreciation to the Cuban government for the continued support and cooperation extended to Sri Lanka at multilateral fora, particularly at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Source: The Nation July 30, 2021 05:03 UTC