Cuba, Britain to cooperate on energy, education, financial services

Cuba and Britain on Thursday signed several cooperation agreements regarding energy, education, cultural and financial services.

"These are areas where we believe we can do a great deal together. Financial services is an area where the UK leads the world. Cuba has a very strong education sector and we've discussed today areas where we can work together," British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told reporters after meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez.

Hammond arrived in Cuba on Thursday on the first such visit since 1959. He and Rodriguez discussed a variety of issues including trade, the social and economic changes in Cuba, and the response to health issues such as the Zika virus.

Hammond said that a visit to Havana by British Prime Minister David Cameron is not expected in the short term but "anything is possible in the long term."

The top British diplomat highlighted London's willingness to deepen tourism cooperation with Havana. More than 160,000 Britons visited the island last year and tourism has become one of the most booming sectors in Cuba.

"Cuba is also developing its renewable energy market and other forms of energy, which is also an area where the UK has technology and services to offer. The cultural exchange is also very important as we seek to underpin this growing relationship for the better understanding between the British and the Cuban people," Hammond said.

Meanwhile, Rodriguez said Havana attaches great importance to its ties with Britain and seeks to deepen bilateral relations in fields that are beneficial to both nations.

Cuba is the second leg of Hammond's Latin American tour that has taken him to Colombia and will later take him to Mexico.

Hammond's two-day stay in Cuba follows the historic visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to the Caribbean nation last month as part of the rapprochement between Havana and Washington after 50 years of enmity. Endi