Havana, July 19 (RHC)-- Cuban President Raul Castro returned to Cuba from Brazil on Friday after having participated in what has been described as an intense and historic meeting between China’s head of state Xi Jinping and the leaders of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, CELAC.

The Cuban president was welcomed at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport by Cuba’s Communist Party Second Secretary Jose Ramon Machado and by Interior Minister Abelardo Colomé.

Promoting cooperation between China and Latin America was the objective of the meeting of both regions of the world, which took place in the Brazilian capital.  Raul Castro said: “This has been a historic event."

China offered the creation of a fund to finance development projects in the region as part of its proposals during the meeting, thus strengthening a relationship based on mutual respect and benefits.

During his stay in Brasilia, the Cuban President also met with several leaders who attended the meeting, such as Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro.