Raul Castro in Venezuela for Summit

HAVANA TIMES, April 19 — Cuban President Raul Castro arrived in Caracas on Sunday afternoon to attend the summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) which begins Monday.  Castro was welcomed by Venezuelan VP Elias Jaua and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro.

Traveling with the Cuban president are vice presidents Ramiro Valdes and Ricardo Cabrisas, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, Foreign Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca and Havana City Historian Eusebio Leal.

The state of independence of the nations of the continent is the main theme of the gathering.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro told reporters: “There is going to be a group of decisions and proposals that have been worked to effectively open a path towards the truth to counter the ongoing aggressions in the struggle to be free and independent.”

The ALBA member nations are Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, and Antigua and Barbuda.