UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan gives away souvenir to Cuba Ambassador to Pakistan Jesus Zenen Buergo Concepcion

Cuba and Pakistan will strengthen their ties in the fields of commerce, biotechnology, health, education, agriculture and curb dengue epidemic, said Cuba Ambassador to Pakistan Jesus Zenen Buergo Concepcion on Thursday. He visited the University of Agriculture Faisalabad and addressed Dean Director Committee, UAF with UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan in the chair. The envoy said the Cuban experts were visiting Pakistan these days for evaluating the help that Cuba can offer in combating dengue and malaria diseases. He said the Pak and Cuba diplomatic ties started in 1956. He said that the both countries had been enjoying good and everlasting relations since then. He said to cope with afterward of devastating earth quake hit Pakistan in 2005, the Cuba sent a team of 2601 doctors and paramedical staff and set up state-of-the-art 32 field hospitals in the then North West Frontier Province (NWFP). He said that around 900Pakistani students were studying in Cuba in the course of medicine and the first batch of 300 doctors would pass out next year. He said Pakistani students are the best out of more than 25,000 foreign students getting education there. He also thanked Pakistan providing support in 2009 when his country was severely hit by the three hurricanes in a row that devastated their economy. He said that Cuba is the small country lying in Caribbean sea, with the population of 11.2 million people just 90 kilometers away from the most powerful country existing ever. He said that the people of both countries share important values that make our heart closer. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan also stressed the need to more cementing the ties in the various fields. He also thanked the Cuba for standing with Pakistan in tough times. He said that university was running various research projects on dengue epidemic in to order to fight the virus which has played havoc with the lives of people last year. He said that the university was the oldest one in the field of agriculture and striving hard for the uplifting of agricultural with the help of quality manpower and researches.