Mexico awards Cuba leader with top award

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador awarded Saturday his Cuban counterpart Miguel Díaz-Canel the Mexican "Order of the Aztec Eagle", the highest distinction awarded to foreigners, in a sign of the close alliance between the two governments.

The honor was in recognition of Cuba's support to Mexico during the coronavirus pandemic by sending hundreds of doctors. After receiving the award, the Cuban leader said the award symbolizes "the origin, identity and strength of the always beloved and admired Mexican nation."

Last May, López Obrador visited Havana, where an agreement was reached to send several hundred Cuban doctors to Mexico to reinforce the healthcare sector, which faces failures due to the lack of specialists. Mexico and Cuba have maintained a historic relationship, which has spanned more than a century.