Havana, September 12 (RHC)-- Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela concluded his official to Cuba on Saturday, after fulfilling a packed agenda of activities aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between Panama City and Havana.

On Friday, Varela and his Cuban counterpart, President Raúl Castro, visited the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), located west of Havana. There, they met with young Panamanians who are studying medicine on scholarships granted by the Cuban government.

The Panamanian head of state took the opportunity to thank the Cuban government and people for their solidarity and cooperation, particularly in health and education sectors. He stressed that ELAM has already training more than one thousand young Panamanian doctors, most of whom have returned to Panama to assist their people and improve their country's health care indicators.

He added that he is interested in further strengthening bilateral health cooperation between his country and Cuba, and mentioned the scholarships program, preventive medicine and an increased presence of Cuban health professionals in poor, under-served areas of Panama.

Also on Friday, the Panamanian head of state attended a Cuba-Panama business forum, aimed at identifying areas of common interest toward strengthening bilateral economic and trade relations.