Cuba, US scientists kick off cooperation meeting

Scientists from the Cuba and United States will Monday begin a five-day meeting aimed at exploring opportunities for cooperation on range of research fields, including biological and environmental sciences, and science policy, Cuban officials said.

The forum, organized by The Academy of Sciences of Cuba (ACC) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), will be attended by some 40 directors of research centers and researchers from the two countries, said the ACC in statement, according to official Cuban news agency Prensa Latina.

The aim is to "reach sustainable collaboration between the two countries," said the agency.

The neighbors have not had diplomatic relations since the White House broke off links in 1961, and a strict embargo has strangled ties and trade between them.