The president of the Pluri-national State of Bolivia, Evo Morales, arrived in Cuba on an official visit, as part of which he will hold talks with Army General Raul Castro, President of the councils of State and Ministers.

Upon his arrival at Havana’s José Marti International Airport in the early hours of Friday, he was received by Miguel Diaz-Canel, First Vice-president of the councils of State and Ministers, and Palmiro Soria, Bolivia’s ambassador to Cuba.

It is expected that Raul and Evo address the issue of Latin American and Caribbean integration, as reported by the Prensa Latina news agency.

As part of his stay in the Caribbean nation, the Bolivian president will be presented with the Jose Marti Order, the highest award given by the Cuban Council of State, and carry out other activities.

In recent statements, Morales acknowledged the assistance provided by the Cuban people to other countries, despite the difficulties caused by the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States to the Caribbean nation for more than half a century.

He also condemned the attacks and destabilizing actions against progressive and anti-imperialist governments of Latin America.

Before arriving in Havana, the dignitary inaugurated in Sucre, constitutional capital of Bolivia, the 10th Hemispheric Summit of Mayors, a meeting attended by 700,000 delegates from some twenty countries.

Evo Morales was elected president of the Andean nation in December 2005. He is the first native president ever elected in Bolivia and Latin America and was reelected in 2009 and 2015.