Havana, July 29 (PL-RHC) -- The Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Gordon Darcy Lilo, has ended his official visit to Cuba during which he opened his country's embassy in Havana.

The embassy, which was inaugurated on Thursday, is the ninth diplomatic mission, and the first by a Pacific island nation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The new embassy will strengthen bilateral co-operation beyond the health sector, said Darcy, who noted that South-South co-operation was one of the mainstays of his country's foreign policy.

President Raul Castro met with the prime minister of the Solomon Islands on Friday and they discussed the state of bilateral relations and current international issues.

Before the official welcoming ceremony and official talks, Darcy laid a wreath at the monument of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti at Havana's Revolution Square and toured the memorial dedicated to the hero of Cuba's independence.