Havana, December 14 (RHC)-- Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis is in Havana for a two-day official visit aimed at deepening relations with Cuba, which were re-established in 2009, and to promote bilateral trade.

Upon his arrival at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport on Sunday, the Costa Rican president expressed the intention to complete the process of normalization of diplomatic relations with Cuba. He also called for strengthening exports between the two countries, as part of efforts to deepen a relationship he described as "historical, very productive and fraternal."

The visiting Costa Rican president and his accompanying delegation toured the historic district of Old Havana, where they were informed by the capital's Historian, Eusebio Leal, on the 496-year-old city, which was selected in December 2014 as one of the seven wonders of world cities, within the New7Wonders initiative.

Solis delivers a key-note lecture on Monday at Havana's San Geronimo University on the history of relations between Cuba and Costa Rica.

The visit by President Solis to the island takes place as thousands of Cubans remain stranded in his country in their effort to reach the United States by traveling through Central America, encouraged by the U.S. "dry-feet, wet-feet" policy and the Cuban Adjustment Act. It is the first visit to Cuba by a Costa Rican president since the triumph of the Revolution in 1959.