Brussels, June 8 (RHC)-— Cuba called in Belgium for the strengthening of cooperation between the universities of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) during the 2nd Academic Summit between the two regional blocs. “We want to move from theory to practice and implement more projects in areas of common interest,” said the rector of the Cuban University of Camaguey and deputy to the National Assembly Santiago Lage during the forum in Brussels.

Despite the so-called European Common Position, a policy that excluded Cuba from certain cooperation projects with the European Union, there have been many accords and letters of intent allowing the exchange between European and Cuban education centers.

The forum was held prior to the European Union-CELAC Summit and has been attended by academics of the two regions, as well as members of
international organizations like the European Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.
 

The General Secretary of the Union of Latin American and Caribbean Universities Roberto Escalante said the forum that the two regions have different scenarios, but they share common interests, such as the efforts against climate change and in favor of food security.

The idea is finding more communications and exchange opportunities among our universities and researchers and that we work for the mutual recognition of diplomas, said Josefina Alvarez, permanent delegate at UNESCO from the Dominican Republic.

The agreements reached at the two-day forum will be submitted to the heads of state and government during the EU-CELAC Summit, to take place on June 10th and 11th.