During the meeting, Raul and Shoigu expressed their satisfaction at the cooperation advances between the Civil Defense ministries of both countries, the Cuban Television reported.

Raul asked the distinguished visitor to pass on greetings to Russian President Dimitri Medvedev and to the Russian people and he reiterated the Cuban people’s gratitude to Moscow for the assistance received after the devastation caused last year by hurricanes Ike, Gustav and Paloma.

For his part, Shoigu thanked the Cuban leader for this opportunity to see at first hand the efforts of the Caribbean nation to face all kind of difficulties and to continue advancing.

Also present in the meeting were the Minister of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, Army Corps General Julio Casas Regueiro; the Chief of the Civil Defense National General Staff, Division General Ramon Pardo Guerra; and the Russian Ambassador in Havana, Mijail Kamynin; as well as members of the visiting delegation.