?Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel (L) and Britain's Prince Charles review the honor guard in Havana, Cuba, on March 25, 2019. Britain's Prince Charles and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel met here on Monday, vowing to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation in a wide range of areas, the Cuban government said. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)
HAVANA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Prince Charles and Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel met here on Monday, vowing to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation in a wide range of areas, the Cuban government said.
Both sides "agreed on the mutual will to develop ties in areas such as education, health, culture, environmental protection and sustainable development," according to a press release by the Cuban government on its official website.
The British prince, accompanied by his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, was welcomed by Diaz-Canel at Havana's Revolution Palace with military honors.
Charles and Camilla became the first British royals to visit Cuba, which demonstrates the close ties between Havana and London, Diaz-Canel said.
"Cuba welcomes Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. We are honored to receive them and show them with pride the nation we are ... The visit expresses the good state of our relations," Diaz-Canel tweeted on Monday before meeting the royal couple.
Earlier on Monday, the British royal couple toured Havana's Old Town, dubbed a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1982. The couple also unveiled a statue of British playwright William Shakespeare.
The royal couple arrived in Havana on Sunday afternoon at the Jose Marti International Airport, where they were received by Cuba's Deputy Foreign Minister Ana Teresita Gonzalez.
The Cuba visit is part of their 12-day Caribbean tour, which has already taken them to Saint Lucia, Barbados, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.
