cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/41526376

Jan. 10, 2026

After the election of socialist President Hugo Chávez in 1998, Venezuela quickly became Cuba’s closest ally. Very early in his term, Chávez signed alongside Fidel Castro the Cuba-Venezuela Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement that saw Cuban specialists lend their expertise inside of Venezuela in the fields of culture, education, health, and more. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, but its healthcare system had always faced medicine and staff shortages. Cuba sent thousands of doctors and nurses to work in Venezuela, where they were paid many times the tiny salaries they earned in Cuba. In exchange, Venezuela shipped oil to Cuba.