By: Mercy Peter
Nigeria and Cuba Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen bilateral relations.
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar and his visiting Cuban counterpart, Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla signed the MoU after their close door deliberations in Abuja.
Tuggar said the MoU bothers on strengthening relations, especially in the area of trade, medicine and science and technology.
He said: “We just signed an agreement, an MOU, to further strengthen our political relationship and to further strengthen our collaboration bilaterally as well as multilaterally. And of course, during the course of our bilateral meeting, we discussed several areas to do with enhancing trade, investment, and collaboration with regards to the medical sector, with regards to research, with regards to science, with regards to technology. And this is something that Nigeria is keenly looking forward to working together with Cuba towards actualising.
“So for us, we consider Cuba as part of Nigeria’s diaspora. And this visit provides us with an opportunity to further strengthen existing ties and agreements and memoranda of understanding that are already in place. And also, just as you witnessed, for us to sign new ones.”
On his part, Rodriguez Parrilla who is visiting Nigeria for the second time said Cuba is ready to explore the potentials for both countries to enhance bilateral relations.
He therefore pledged his country’s full commitment to enhance bilateral relations with Nigeria.
He “We confirm that there is a very positive potential in order to enhance our cooperation, trade, investment, economic, cultural, academic, scientific relations. And we have been exchanging views on this matter in order to explore some new interests and consolidate the current ones.
“We enjoyed an excellent level of bilateral relationship in many different areas, having a very proactive exchange and commonalities in our international agendas, a very proactive level of bilateral cooperation and consultation in bilateral ways and also in multilateral foreign and international organisations.”
He also added, “I’m sure that this visit is a positive step and an excellent base for continuing having positive exchange, exploring additional interests for the sake of the Nigerian and the Cuban people. We Cubans consider ourselves of a Latin American-African people, African descent, and most importantly, Nigerian descent. Nigeria, modern Nigeria, is in our blood, in our culture, in our religions, in our traditions.”
The visiting minister also pointed out that he is in Abuja firstly to express his country’s “profound appreciation and gratitude to the contribution by Nigeria to our culture and our country, and because of the stand taken by your country on the issue of the embargo on Cuba.”
We feel very proud of ourselves as Latin American, African people, and we’ll always be loyal to this special history in commonality with Africa, but especially with the federal republic of Nigeria.”
