Havana, March 29 (RHC)-- The visiting mayor of the city of Newark in the U.S. state of New Jersey, Ras J. Baraka, held talks Tuesday with officials at the Havana-based Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP).

During the exchange, ICAP President Fernando González hailed the work developed by the movement of solidarity with Cuba in the U.S., saying their efforts were instrumental in achieving the release of the Cuban Five from U.S. jails.

Mayor Ras J. Baraka voiced an interest in learning about Cuba's education and health care systems.  He said he wants to replicate some of those experiences in his city of Newark, New Jersey.

The mayor expressed his support for the ongoing process toward the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, begun in 2015 with the opening of embassies in both Washington and Havana.