Havana, July 17 (RHC)-- Visiting Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos began his official agenda in Cuba this Monday by meeting with President Raul Castro at Havana's Palace of the Revolution.

President Santos also attended a Cuba-Colombia business forum earlier on Monday morning.  He told reporters that his purpose of visiting Cuba is two-fold: to thank Cuba for its firm support of Colombia's peace process and to advance relations between the two nations, for which he said the moment was right.

The Colombian president is accompanied by a large business mission made up of representatives from the fields of construction, packaging, agribusiness, food, electricity and electronics, engineering and petroleum services, energy and chemistry.

This morning, the visiting head of state placed a wreath at the monument to Cuba's National Hero José Martí.  And also on Monday, the President Santos paid homage to Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez.