Putin meets two Castros in Cuba

Putin arrived early on Friday at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, before joining Raul Castro in a visit to a cemetery where the remains lie of Soviet soldiers who died of illness of in accidents while serving in Cuba during the Cold War.

Russian sources reported that Putin later met with Fidel Castro, now 87, who handed power to his brother in 2008 after leading the country for almost 50 years. Russian news agency ITAR-TASS said the two met for around an hour, during which they discussed international affairs, the world economy and bilateral relations.

'Tangible generosity'

Prior to his visit, Putin announced that Russia had written off 90 percent of Cuba's Soviet-era debt totaling around $35 billion (25.7 billion euros) and that the rest would be invested in education on the Caribbean island.

Raul Castro described the debt forgiveness as "another great, tangible generosity of the Russian people toward Cuba."

The two sides also signed a number of accords during Putin's stay, including one that will see Russian companies participate in petroleum projects on Cuba's northern coast, as well as offshore oil exploration.

Another deal covered a planned port project.

"We are talking about the possibility of creating in Cuba a grand transportation hub with a possible modernization of the maritime port of Mariel and the construction of a modern airport with its respective cargo terminal," the Associated Press quoted Putin as saying.

Putin also denounced a more than 50-year-old US economic embargo of Cuba, which has has continued to struggle despite recent reforms.

"We will provide support to our Cuban friends to overcome the illegal blockade of Cuba," he said.

World Cup final on the agenda

Also on Putin's itinerary for his Latin American tour are Argentina and Brazil, where he is to attend a summit of emerging economies known as the BRICS group.

On Sunday, Putin is to attend the final of the World Cup between Germany and Argentina and the ceremonial handing over of hosting duties for the tournament, which is to be held in Russia in four years' time. There has been speculation that Putin could meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the final, which she is also planning to attend.

pfd/av (AFP, Reuters, AP)