Cuban President Raul Castro arrived in Venezuela on Friday to attend the 11th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America (ALBA), to be held in this capital on February 5.
The Cuban head of State was welcomed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at Maiquetia International Airport, in Vargas state.
Topics to be discussed at the meeting by the heads of State and representatives from eight member nations of the bloc include the development of the regional integration projects such as the Unique System of Regional Compensation (Sucre), The People's Trade Agreement (TCP), the establishment of the ALBA Bank, and the strengthening of multinational companies.
Prior to the 11th summit of this bloc, this capital on Friday will hosts different preparatory meetings, involving reporters, representatives, and Foreign Affairs ministers of the ALBA member nations.
Cuban President Raul Castro's agenda also includes attending festivities for the civic-military rebellion carried out by president Chavez on February 4, 1992, which 20 years ago marked the new course in the history of this Latin American nation.
ALBA, a mechanism of integration based on principles such as complementation and solidarity and born in 2004, is formed by Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ecuador, Antigua and Barbuda, and Venezuela.
Founded by the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and the Venezuelan president, this initiative was a response to the Free Trade Agreement for the Americas (ALCA), promoted by Washington, aimed at eliminating duties in order to turn the continent into a big trade zone linked to the US.