At the meeting, Raul highlighted the historical relations between the two peoples; he thanked the Russian Government and the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the solidarity donations made at different times.

Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, received on Thursday afternoon Lieutenant General Alexander Viacheslavovich Kurenkov, Minister of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, who paid a working visit to Cuba.

During the meeting, Raúl highlighted the historic relations between the two peoples; he thanked the Russian Government and the Ministry of Emergency Situations for their solidarity donations at different times, their support for the specialised training of Cuban firefighters and rescuers to deal with exceptional situations and sent a cordial greeting to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

Both sides reaffirmed the political will to continue strengthening cooperation relations in the interest of facing complex contingency situations, as has been made clear by the severe impact of hurricanes Oscar and Rafael, as well as the recent earthquakes that affected the eastern region of the country.

The General of the Army was joined by the member of the Political Bureau and Minister of the Interior, Major General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas, and other senior officials of the Ministry of the Interior.

In addition to the distinguished visitor, his ambassador to Cuba, Victor Koronelli, and other members of the delegation accompanying him also took part on the Russian side.