New Zealand Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee has announced the renewal of an agreement with Cuba that he says will boost medical assistance in Pacific countries.
Gerry Brownlee Photo: RNZ / Demelza Leslie
There are dozens of Cuban-trained doctors working throughout the Pacific.
The Cooperation Arrangement was first signed between New Zealand and Cuba in 2015 and enables Cuban doctors to receive language training in New Zealand before providing medical services in the Pacific.
Mr Brownlee says the agreement - funded by the New Zealand Aid Programme - has been renewed for three more years.
He says New Zealand and Cuba have a shared interest in the Pacific and extending the agreement demonstrates the ongoing commitment to small island developing states.
Mr Brownlee is currently in Cuba to meet with his counterpart, before travelling to Colombia for the Pacific Alliance Summit.