Cuban Defense Secretary Raul Castro discussed challenges facing Cuba and North Korea, two of only five remaining communist states in the world, in a meeting with the vice president of North Korea's parliament, state-run media reported Tuesday. Castro, who is the younger brother of Cuban President Fidel Castro, and other top officials received Yang Hyong Sop and his delegation on Monday, the Communist Party daily Granma said in an article on its front page.
They talked about shared experiences "in the construction of socialism" as well as "the fight to preserve ... national independence in the face of constant imperialist aggressions," Granma said. The world's other communist countries are China, Laos and Vietnam.
The newspaper also reported that the delegation told Raul Castro that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is interested in further strengthening ties, particularly commercial ones, between the two countries. The North Korean official, who made his first visit to the island in 1968, has met with several Cuban officials and visited biotechnology centers on this trip. His visit coincides with the 45th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the two countries. |