MOSCOW, Russia.- When meeting with his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez at Novoe Ogoriovo residence on the outskirts of Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will gladly accept the invitation to visit Cuba.

Putin congratulated Diaz-Canel on his election as President of the Republic of Cuba, and emphasized that in the Slavic nation they know well the history of the ties between the two countries.

The Russian President also referred to the 33 percent increase in bilateral trade over the past year, and highlighted that in Russia they always saw with particular sympathy the independent position of the island and its sovereign politics.

Both leaders noted the excellent state of bilateral relations, and the progress in economic-trade projects and the coincidence on the main issues of the international agenda.

During his meeting with Diaz-Canel, Putin expressed his country’s backing to the Cuba in the fight against the US blockade, and rejected the Trump Administration’s new measures to stifle the island’s economy.  The Cuban President passed on warm greetings from Army General Raul Castro Ruz.

Diaz-Canel’s visit encourages Havana and Moscow to retake the dialogue of strategic partners, with a wide range of technology exchange and market positioning spheres.

On this second day of his working visit in Moscow, the Cuban President discussed with Russian entrepreneurs the prospects for exports of products and services from Cuba to this country; as well as cooperation in various areas.