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Cuba, Venezuela Reaffirm Ties

   VOA News 16 April 2010
   Venezuela's  President Hugo Chavez during the Militia Day celebrations
   in Caracas, 13 Apr 10

Photo: AP

   Venezuela's  President Hugo Chavez during the Militia Day celebrations
   in Caracas, 13 Apr 10

   Cuba's  state-run  media  report that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
   has  met with his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, and former President
   Fidel Castro to reaffirm ties between their nations.
   The  Communist Party newspaper Granma says President Chavez arrived in
   Cuba from Nicaragua Thursday.  The report says discussions focused on
   ways to strengthen economic and social ties.
   It  says  Mr.  Chavez  and Raul Castro toured a community construction
   project in the town of Playa and met with members of the community.
   Cuba  and  Venezuela are close political allies.  Venezuela is Cuba's
   main trading partner.
   In  December,  the  two  nations  signed cooperation agreements in the
   areas of health, education, farming and energy worth some $3 billion.
   Cuba  and  Venezuela  are  founding members of ALBA, a leftist bloc of
   Latin American nations formed in 2004 to counter U.S. influence in the
   region.

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