HAVANA, Cuba.- At the end of the inauguration of the restoration work of the Statue of the Republic of Cuba in the National Capitol, Army General Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, spoke with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, who pays an official visit to the island.

During the cordial meeting they expressed mutual satisfaction with the excellent state of bilateral relations and agreed on the willingness to work for their continued strengthening. They also exchanged on issues on the international agenda.

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Andrei A. Guskov, and the director of the Latin American Department of the Chancellery, Alexander V. Shchetinin, accompanied the distinguished visitor

On the Cuban side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, was present.