Andorra, April 1 (RHC)--  The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Andorra, Maria Ubach, defended on Tuesday the sovereignty of that European principality, affected by the COVID-19, against the pressures of the United States to prevent Cuba's medical collaboration.

The arrival of 39 health professionals from the Caribbean island put Andorran diplomacy on alert, following warnings from Donald Trump, who intends to prevent the presence of Cuban health specialists in nations that are in urgent need of such assistance.

"I am aware of the position of the United States, but we are a sovereign country, and we can choose the partners with whom to collaborate," Ubach told the d' Andorra newspaper, quoted by the news portal Cubadebate.

According to the source, the head of Foreign Affairs explained that given the impossibility of receiving health care personnel from Spain and France, due to the critical situation that those countries are experiencing, she opted for the help of the Cuban professionals, who have a long tradition of medical services abroad.

In just one week, Andorra went from knocking on the door of the Latin American country to becoming the second state in Europe -after Italy- to receiving health cooperation from Cuba, which was questioned by the United States, says the newspaper.

The will of that principality is that the 12 Cuban doctors, 26 nurses and one logistician will start working at the Nuestra Señora de Meritxell Hospital towards the end of the week, after a quick training on the Andorran health system and the usual health check-up.

Currently, some 593 Cuban health professionals, organized into 14 brigades, are participating in efforts to stop the pandemic in 12 nations, despite the United States' smear campaign to discourage cooperation from Cuban health professionals.