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Spain's King, PM to visit Cuba "as soon as possible": FM

Xinhua, April 17, 2017 Adjust font size:

King Felipe VI of Spain and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will visit Cuba "as soon as possible," Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis announced on Monday.

The announcement of what would be the first visit to Cuba by a Spanish monarch and Prime Minister since King Juan Carlos and former Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar visited Cuba for the 1999 Ibero-American Summit, came after Dastis' meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla in Madrid.

Earlier in the day Rodriguez Parrilla had met with Rajoy at the Prime Minister's official residence at the Palacio de la Moncloa and also held a reception with King Felipe.

The first visit to Spain by a Cuban Foreign Minister in eight years also saw Dastis and Rodriguez Parrilla hold a meeting at the Spanish Foreign Office. During a press conference after their meeting, both sides highlighted the "close and intense" bilateral ties.

Rodriguez Parrilla confirmed in the press conference that he has invited King Felipe and Rajoy to Cuba to which Dastis replied there "is no date yet... but we want it to be as soon as possible."

Dastis said that Spain and Cuba were "brother nations," adding that Spain wanted to maintain the current close relationship and if possible make the links even stronger. Endit