Outgoing Cuban Ambassador Raul Gortázar Marrero expressed confidence that his country and Guyana will continue to enjoy fertile relations when he paid a courtesy call to President Donald Ramotar at the Office of the President on Wednesday.
According to a Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) report, Marrero is ending his four-year tenure at a high point in the two countries’ 40-year relations when a significant number of Guyanese have returned from Cuba after completing seven or more years of studies in different fields.
The opportunity for Guyanese to pursue scholarships was made possible through a bilateral agreement between former President Bharrat Jagdeo and Cuban Leader Fidel Castro that also catered for technical support in the construction of four diagnostic and treatment centres and a state of the art eye care facility at Port Mourant, GINA said.
The ophthalmology centre, manned by members of the Cuban medical brigade, replaced an earlier arrangement for Guyanese with eye ailments to benefit from an all-expenses-paid trip to Cuba for eye surgery.
In addition to the medical brigade, the ambassador referred to collaboration in sport and agriculture, and gave assurances of the Cuban Government’s continued support of Guyana’s development.
“Now-a-days, Latin America and the Caribbean are working in unison in this regard because in unity there is strength and once we have that strength, we can overcome,” he said.
