Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez received in this capital the Federal Councilor and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, Ignazio Cassis, who is on an official visit.

The European diplomat thanked his Cuban counterpart for the warm welcome and expressed his intention to test the island’s development efforts despite the economic hardships.

According to him, Cassis acknowledged that Switzerland is very close to Cuba in promoting various programs of mutual cooperation, and expressed a desire to contribute more to the development of the Antillean nation, which has great cultural wealth.

For its part, the host country described relations with Switzerland as harmonious, respectful, productive and mutually enriching in the cultural, academic and scientific fields.

Switzerland is a peace-loving country, and this fact is of great importance for the Latin American region, which offered to maintain a peaceful climate in the area, said the Cuban Foreign Minister.

A high-ranking representative of the Central European nation attended the wreath-laying ceremony at the statue of Cuban national hero Jose Marti in the park on March 13 in Havana and will negotiate with the Cuban authorities, among other events of interest.

Cassis’s visit is the first visit by a Swiss federal councilor to a Caribbean country and is part of a tour that includes the United States and Mexico. Diplomatic relations between Havana and Bern date back to 1902, and since 1918 the country has had a representation in this capital.