Fiji, Cuba ink visa exemption agreement

(Xinhua) — Fiji and Cuba signed here on Tuesday the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on visa exemption which will enable the two countries’ nationals with the valid diplomatic and official passports to enter, remain, transit through and exit without a visa for a period of 90 days.

According to a government statement, the agreement on visa exemption was signed by Fiji’s Acting Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Yogesh Karan and Cuba’s Ambassador to Fiji Carlos Manuel Rojas Lago.

Karan said that cooperation on visa exemption signifies the friendship and enhanced bilateral engagements between the two countries since the establishment of the diplomatic relations in 2002.

He added that there is potential for greater collaboration between Fiji and Cuba and they would like to see that these bilateral cooperation reach greater heights.

For his part, Cuba’s Ambassador to Fiji Carlos Manuel Rojas Lago said that the MOU will strengthen the bilateral and political dialogue between the two countries and the engagement between the two peoples, in particular the increase in exchanges of delegations, and also in the promotion of exchanges at technical level, in fields of common interests for the two countries such as health care, sustainable agriculture, sugarcane industry, sports, biotechnology, environmental protection, oceans management and climate change.

The ambassador also said that they hope to jointly conclude by the end of this year the signing of the MOU on sports, as a field with great potential to be developed.