Timor Leste authorities discusseed here Saturday the benefits of work by Cuban collaborators who have saved lives and helped this country's citizens learn.

In a press conference with Foreign Minister A. da Costa and Health Minister Nelson Martin the highlighted the result of this medical work of 12,097 patients saved, 23,091 surgical operations and nearly 2 million visits made by 233 Cuban doctors with an average of 15 years experience.

Both government leaders said that there are 700 Timor Leste medical scholarship holders in Cuba and 149 studying in the first branch of the
National University of this specialty opened in the 13 districts of the country.

There are 36 teachers working in different districts of this territory and 12,000 Timor Leste citizens have learned to read and write with the method Yes I Can   .

Zacarias has put forward that President Jose Ramos-Horta will propose Cuban doctors, who have devoted 45 years of their career to saving lives around the world in over 70 countries currently, as Nobel Prize Candidates.

The exchange with the press took place before the opening ceremony of First Cuba-Timor Leste Mixed Commission presided over by Dili foreign minister and Cuban foreign affairs Vice Minister Yiliam Rodriguez Exposito.

The Timor Leste Foreign Minister informed of the agenda of this commission and stressed that the meeting took place at a moment in solid and growing relations between the two countries.