Havana, November 25 (RHC) -- Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, Vice President of the Council of Ministers, held a meeting on Monday morning with José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, who is paying an official visit to Cuba.

During the talks, both officials discussed the prospects of bilateral cooperation, esoecially in fields of trade and investment. Issues on the international agenda were also addressed, including the challenges posed by the current global economic crisis.

In a brief appearance before reporters, Garcia-Margallo said: “The visit is going well, how could it be otherwise? ... We've talked about cooperation projects and we're speaking, as is natural, with Cuban political authorities."

The head of Spain's diplomatic corps on his first day of meetings in Cuba also held discussions with Cuban Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca.

Garcia-Margallo's official visit will continue on Tuesday with a meeting with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez, and he is also scheduled to be received by President Raul Castro.

He also said he would meet with Spaniards who live in Cuba, whose numbers will increase "from 40,000 to 400,000" with the Historical Memory Law that will grant Spanish citizenship to the grandchildren of Spaniards who emigrated to Cuba.