Cuban President Raul Castro (2nd L) holds a welcoming ceremony for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (3rd L) in Havana, Cuba, on Sept. 19, 2016. (Xinhua/Str)
HAVANA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Cuba on Monday for an official visit that will include a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro to bolster bilateral ties.
During his brief visit in Havana, Rouhani is scheduled to meet with Castro at the presidential palace to discuss bilateral political and economic ties, Cuba's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a press release.
He is also expected to meet with retired revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, according to Iran's English-language news service Press TV.
Before leaving Tehran, Iran's president said his nation wanted to forge a "new path" in ties with Cuba by expanding economic cooperation.
In the course of the day, the two nations are to sign several cooperation agreements in the fields of public health, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and energy.
Rouhani was greeted at the airport by Cuba's minister of economy and planning, Ricardo Cabrisas, the Cuban News Agency (ACN) said.
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Cuba in August as part of a six-nation Latin American tour to strengthen ties with the region, and the two nations agreed to create a bilateral committee to boost economic and health cooperation.
Iran has long condemned the U.S.-led trade embargo against Cuba, and is itself just beginning to emerge from a punishing U.S. sanctions regime designed to thwart its nuclear technology program, despite Tehran's assurances that it was for peaceful purposes.
Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez said last month Havana was "pleased" with Iran's foreign policy achievements, particularly the nuclear deal struck last year to remove sanctions.
Rouhani was in Venezuela for the 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, where he handed over the bloc's rotating presidency to Venezuela, and will head to New York later in the day to take part in the United Nations General Assembly.
