Raul Castro Concludes Visit to Venezuela CUBA, Apr 21, 2010. - Cuban President Raul Castro concluded on Wednesday a visit to Venezuela where he participated in the official celebrations for the bicentenary of the beginning of Venezuela’s independence war and in the Ninth Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of the Americas (ALBA) regional integration and cooperation bloc. Shortly before leaving Caracas, Raul, who was seen off by his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez, spoke with reporters. “All the meetings we have, either in Havana or Caracas, are important. I am really happy to see that our relations with our Venezuelan brothers are strengthening and developing,” Raul said. “We are getting closer and closer with the Venezuelan people. We are the same.” “It is the same homeland,” Chavez added. During his stay in Caracas, Raul also participated in a military parade along the Paseo de los Proceres (Avenue of the Independence Heroes) and in a solemn session of the Venezuelan National Assembly. Regarding Tuesday’s meeting with Chavez at the Palacio de Miraflores —seat of the Venezuelan government— the Cuban president noted that, although they also spoke of politics, they focused on economic topics such as investments, technology, development opportunities and the replacement of imports, Prensa Latina news agency reported. (Cubaminrex - acn) |