Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez Meet

Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez Meet Havana, Jun 8 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Raul Castro received Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday. Chavez, who is concluding a tour that took him to Ecuador and Brazil, arrived in this capital early today. During his stay here, the visitor will review the development of the extensive existing bilateral links between Havana and Caracas, Granma newspaper reported.

Raul Castro has reiterated that the Integral Cooperation Agreement with Venezuela is the essential foundation for strengthening links between the two nations.

Since its implementation on October 30, 2000, a number of actions have been carried out, bringing great economic and social benefit to the peoples, Raul Castro said during a recent ceremony to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the signing of those agreements.

The sectors that have benefited the most from these programs are health, education, culture, sports, agriculture, energy conservation, mining, informatics, telecommunications and the comprehensive training of cadres.

A whole series of social programs jointly developed in Venezuela, such as Barrio Adentro for health care, Mision Ribas for education, and Operation Miracle for vision surgery, have had a significant impact on improving the quality of life of the Venezuelan population.

Those steps will allow both nations to truely compliment each other economically, based on the optimal use of existing infrastructure, knowledge, and resources in both countries, and above all, on the political will of both governments, Raul Castro said.