Havana, April 29 (RHC) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has met with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez, today in Havana, where he arrived on Monday as part of a tour of Latin America, diplomatic sources said.

According to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement, Lavrov is also meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro. They are expected to discuss a broad range of pressing international and regional issues and various aspects of the bilateral cooperation.

The communique further highlighted the strong political and friendship ties uniting both countries.

"Cuba has traditionally supported the Russian priorities in the framework of the United Nations General Assembly. Havana has also voted against the 'Territorial Integrity of Ukraine' resolution passed by the UN General Assembly on March 27 this year," commented the ministry's Department of Information and Press.

Russia has invariably called for the U.S. trade and economic blockade of Cuba to be lifted immediately, the ministry also said.

Cooperation with Cuba relies on the Declaration of the principles of the bilateral relationship signed in Havana in 1996, and the Memorandum on the principles of strategic cooperation signed in Moscow in 2009, the ministry recalled.

"The Russian-Cuban cooperation on the global arena is further deepened by the closeness of our positions on core issues of the regional and international agenda, the commitment to strict compliance with the international law, primarily, the United Nations Charter, and the strengthening of the central role of the UN and its Security Council," the commentary added.