Yesterday, September 22, Cuba and Japan made official the donation of medical equipment by the Japanese government to the island with the signing of an Exchange of Notes, as part of the official visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, and Japanese Ambassador to Cuba, Masaru Watanabe, signed the agreement in Havana.

The signing ceremony was presided over by the President of the Councils of State and Ministers of Cuba, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who previously held official talks.

According to reports at the ceremony, held at the headquarters of the Council of State in Havana, the donation is intended to contribute to the implementation of a project for the installation of medical equipment to improve healthcare services in Cuba’s main hospitals.

Earlier, the head of the Japanese government paid tribute to Cuban National Hero José Martí at the Memorial that bears his name in Havana.

Accompanied by Salvador Valdés Mesa, member of the Party Political Bureau and a vice president of the Council of State, Shinzo Abe laid a floral wreath at the monument to Martí. He also toured the various exhibition halls of the museum dedicated to the life and work of Cuba’s National Hero.

Shinzo Abe arrived to the island on the afternoon of September 22 from New York, where he participated in the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly, with the aim of strengthening relations and promoting a new stage of ties between the two nations.

Cuban and Japanese officials have recognized that this is a timely moment to further develop bilateral ties. The two countries signed an agreement on September 19 to restructure Cuba’s medium and long term debt, which will facilitate the financing of projects linked to the development plans of the island.