HAVANA,- The relations between Cuba and Russia are under full expansion, Esteban Lazo, president of Cuban parliament, said on Friday.
Lazo made the remarks after signing an agreement with the visiting leader of Russian Senate, Valentina Matviyenko, to boost the parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.
The delegation of the Russian Senate arrived Thursday in Havana, headed by Matviyenko.
Lazo said the visit would boost the "excellent" historical ties between both the governments and the peoples.
He also called on Russia to increase the investments to the island country.
Lazo stressed the importance of the current Russian investments in Cuba's oil sector and expressed the interest of the Cuban government in extending the cooperation to other areas, such as nickel production, tourism and agriculture.Cuba is not only a strategic partner for Russia, but also a friend for whom the Russian feel special affection, due to historical connections, Matviyenko said.
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. Since 2005, the bilateral relations have began to improve with the resumption of mutual high-level visits.
Currently, Russia is Cuba's ninth largest trade partner, with a trade volume of 224 million U.S. dollars in 2011, according to official figures.
