Kyodo New. March 6,
2001.
Cuba expects Japanese tourists to double this year
TOKYO March 5 Kyodo - Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque on Monday
expressed the hope that the number of Japanese visitors to his country will
double this year from last year to reach 20,000.
The tourism industry in Cuba, the country's main source of foreign currency
revenue, will post annual growth of more than 10% in the near future, Perez said
in a speech in Tokyo, adding the number of foreign tourists will hit 2 million
this year.
The Cuban foreign minister also emphasized the need to open an air route
between the two countries.
Perez arrived in Tokyo on Saturday for a four-day visit to discuss overall
bilateral relations.
Japan, Cuba to cooperate on medical aid to Honduras
TOKYO March 5 Kyodo - Japan and Cuba agreed Monday to cooperate in providing
medical assistance to Honduras in the two nations' first joint project to help a
third country, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.
The agreement was reached between Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono and
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque during their half-hour meeting
preceding a 90-minute dinner at the Iikura state guest house in Tokyo.
Under the agreement, Japan will provide $57,000 in grants for the purchase
of medical supplies and equipment to be used at San Francisco hospital in
northeast Honduras, where Cuban doctors are volunteering their services, the
official said.
The hospital was built using grants provided by the Japanese government,
according to the official.
On relations with the United States, Perez assured Kono that Cuba wants to
improve ties, while remarking it will most probably take time, the official
said.
The 64-year-old Kono expressed hope that Cuba-U.S. relations will see marked
improvement ''during our time,'' while remarking that Perez, at 35, is
considerably younger than he is, according to the official.
Perez also expressed hope that the number of Japanese visitors to his
country will double this year from last year, when about 10,000 tourists from
Japan traveled to Cuba, and placed the eventual annual target at 100,000,
according to the official.
Kono said Japanese people's interest in Cuba will likely grow due to such
cultural phenomena as music, as well as an increase in shared values between the
two countries, with Cuba promoting an open market and allowing visitors to
possess foreign currencies.
Earlier in a speech in Tokyo, Perez said the tourism industry in Cuba, the
country's main source of foreign currency revenue, will post annual growth of
more than 10% in the near future, adding the number of foreign tourists will hit
2 million this year.
The Cuban foreign minister also emphasized the need to open an air route
between Japan and Cuba.
Perez arrived in Tokyo on Saturday for a four-day visit to discuss overall
bilateral relations.
He will hand Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori a letter from Cuban President Fidel
Castro when he meets the Japanese premier briefly on Tuesday evening, the
official said.
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