Cuba, Venezuela sign over 100 cooperation agreements

Cuba and Venezuela signed 139 bilateral cooperation agreements on Monday in northeastern Cuba.

The agreements were signed during a meeting between Cuban leader Raul Castro and Venezuelan Vice President Rafael Ramirez in Cayo Santa Maria, 350 km east of the Cuban capital of Havana, the official news channel NNTV said.

The cooperation projects, which focus on food, energy, mining, healthcare and light industries, will be launched immediately.

Trade between Venezuela and Cuba reached 3.138 million U.S. dollars in 2009, according to Cuban figures. Caracas supplies Havana with 100,000 barrels of oil daily, while receiving services from about 30,000 Cuban doctors and specialists in other branches.

Castro and Ramirez also attended a ceremony in Santa Clara Monday morning, commemorating the assault led by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba on July 26, 1953. The date marked the beginning of the armed struggle against the regime of dictator Fulgencio Batista.

Ramirez was representing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during the meeting with Raul Castro. Chavez canceled his planned trip to Cuba on Sunday because of a diplomatic spat with neighboring Colombia.

Venezuela broke off relations with Colombia on Thursday after Bogota accused Caracas of supporting 1,500 Colombian guerrillas in its territory, a claim rejected by Venezuela.

Source: Xinhua