Cuba, DPRK seek to cement bilateral ties

Cuba's President Raul Castro has met with Kim Yong Chol, a senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and they agreed to deepen ties between the two countries, the official daily Granma said Wednesday.

Castro talked on Tuesday with Chol, member of the Political Bureau and vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, in a "fraternal atmosphere" and they expressed common "interest to continue deepening the historical relations that bind the two parties, governments and peoples," the report said.

Cuba and the DPRK have maintained excellent political and economic relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1960.

In January, the two countries signed two protocols of collaboration covering trade and scientific research.

(APD)