Bogota, Colombia.-Cuban ambassador to Colombia, Jose Luis Ponce, has informed that his country will grant the Colombian government and the FARC-EP a fund of 1,000 scholarships to study medicine in the island in the coming five years.

The Cuban diplomat made the offer to the Monitoring, Impulse and Verification Commission to the implementation of the Final Peace Agreement, while he informed this in Bogota to FARC-EP Secretariat member, Ivan Marquez, and representatives of the government at the Commission.

Ponce explained that the distribution of those scholarships, at a rate of 200 per year -100 for the FARC-EP and 100 for the National Executive- will be a Cuba’s contribution to the implementation process of the Havana peace agreements and the post-conflict in Colombia.

The students selected to receive such scholarships would begin their studies in the 2017-2018 academic year, according to the source.

The capacities to study medicine in Cuba would be allocated to young people demobilized from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) and those displaced and affected by the internal armed conflict, which will be -the latter- chosen by the government.

The Embassy of Cuba will give the Colombian government and the FARC-EP a document detailing the offer, the diplomat said.

Cuba was the venue for the peace talks between the insurgency and the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos for more than four years, until 2016, while -along with Norway- participated as a guarantor of the bilateral talks.

Marquez stressed on his Twitter account that Cuba’s contribution to the implementation process of the Havana Agreement and to the post-conflict in Colombia is a pure gesture of humanity.

Our gratitude to Army General Raul Castro (President of Cuba) for bringing Colombia with his love and solidarity. He helps to peace and offers us doctors, the insurgent commander said.