Cuban medical workers invited to tour US hospital ship

Cuban medical workers invited to tour US hospital ship

Washington (AFP) - A Cuban ambassador and medical team have been invited
to tour a US Navy hospital ship Friday in Haiti, as the United States
seeks to demonstrate the regional benefits of the recent warming of
US-Cuba relations.

"This cooperation demonstrates how our continued normalization of
relations with Cuba can help us advance our interests in the Americas,"
US National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said Thursday.

"The United States and Cuba share certain common interests, among them
the health and welfare of the people of Haiti," Price said in a
statement, noting the docking and tour could provide "a unique
opportunity to engage with Cuban medical professionals and to discuss
opportunities for future cooperation."

The Cuban ambassador to Haiti and five Cuban medical workers were
invited to tour the USNS Comfort, which plans to dock in Port-au-Prince.

The 894-foot (272-meter) hospital ship is charged with providing health
services to US military overseas, but has also been deployed to provide
relief following natural disasters and humanitarian crises, including in
the aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

The US and Cuba reestablished diplomatic ties earlier this year,
following a five-decade freeze.

Source: Cuban medical workers invited to tour US hospital ship - Yahoo
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