Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani, held a meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, in New York on the sidelines of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The two sides exchanged views on a wide range of bilateral, multilateral, and regional issues during the meeting.

The Foreign Minister said that Pakistan and Cuba enjoy excellent relations marked by common views on various regional and international issues. He in particular lauded the close cooperation between the two sides at multilateral fora, particularly the UN, NAM, and G-77 and China.

The Foreign Minister reiterated the heartfelt gratitude of the people of Pakistan for the medical assistance extended by Cuba in the aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.

The Foreign Minister recalled that Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla, who was then Deputy Foreign Minister of Cuba, stayed for more than six months in Pakistan.

He expressed Pakistan's support to Cuba during its Chairmanship of the G-77 and China for the current year and congratulated the Cuban Foreign Minister on the successful organization of the G-77+China Summit held in Havana.

The two agreed on the need to further enhance bilateral relations in areas of mutual interest, especially in the trade, biotechnology, health, and education sectors.