Cuba and Spain prepare visit of the kings to the Island for early January

Havana, Sep 6 (EFE).- Diplomatic sources have confirmed to the EFE agency that Cuba and Spain are preparing the conditions for a state visit to the Island by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia in early January 2018, in response to a formal invitation from the Cuban Government.

The date of what will be the first official visit of a Spanish monarch to Cuba was set today in a meeting at the headquarters of the Cuban Foreign Ministry in Havana between the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfonso Dastis, and the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez. .

Dastis arrived yesterday Tuesday in the Cuban capital on his first official visit to lay the foundations for that state visit, which would be the first by the King of Spain to the Caribbean country, and also to deepen the bilateral relationship and promote Spanish economic interests on the island.

"We do not have a specific date, but the invitation was made by the current president of the Council of State, Raúl Castro, and the logical thing is that the visit takes place while he remains president"Dastis told Spanish media at the end of his meeting with the Cuban Foreign Minister.

Raúl Castro plans to leave the Presidency of Cuba in February 2018, after serving two consecutive terms, and it is expected that first vice president Miguel Díaz-Canel will succeed him in office.

"It could perfectly be at the beginning of the year", the Spanish minister limited himself to saying about the visit, although diplomatic sources later confirmed that preparations are already being made for early January 2018.

The minister also did not want to confirm whether the state visit would be from the president, Mariano Rajoy, or from the King and Queen, although he did indicate that the invitation was made "head of state to head of state", so "there would be nothing strange" for the Kings to be the ones who visited Cuba.

In the meeting between Dastis and Rodríguez, which lasted more than an hour, they addressed "issues of the bilateral relationship, how to strengthen consultations to have the closest possible institutional dialogue," indicated the Spanish minister.

"Spain wants to accompany Cuba in its efforts to boost its economy," stressed Dastis, who also conveyed to the Cuban Foreign Minister the concern of Spanish suppliers based in Cuba who suffer non-payments, a situation they hope to solve soon.

Regarding the serious institutional and political crisis that Venezuela, Cuba's main political and economic ally in the region, is going through, Dastis limited himself to saying that the meeting discussed "all regional issues in Latin America."

Dastis and Rodríguez met in Madrid last April during the official visit of the Cuban Foreign Minister to Spain, who extended Raúl Castro's invitation at that time.

In the afternoon, Dastis will meet with other members of the Cuban Government, such as the Minister of Foreign Trade, Rodrigo Malmierca and the Vice President and Minister of Economy, Ricardo Cabrisas.

At the moment a meeting with the president of Cuba, Raúl Castro, is not on his agenda, although it cannot be ruled out, since he received former Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo during his visit in May 2016.