HAVANA,- Cuban parliament speaker Esteban Lazo said here Friday that his country is interested in expanding economic cooperation with Russia.
Lazo, president of Cuba's unicameral parliament, the People's Power National Assembly, made the remarks after signing an inter-parliamentary cooperation agreement with Valentina Matviyenko, chairwoman of Russia's Federation Council.
"The relations between Cuba and Russia are at an expansion moment," Lazo said, adding that Matviyenko's visit would further promote the "excellent" historical and friendly ties between the two governments and peoples.On Friday, Matviyenko also held talks with Cuban President Raul Castro.
Lazo suggested that besides its investment in Cuba's oil sector, Russia should also increase investment on the island in the spheres of nickel production, tourism and agriculture.
Havana and Moscow were close allies during the Cold War era, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the relations cooled off until 2005 when both governments started to relaunch their traditional bonds with an exchange of visits of national leaders in the next few years.
