Former President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ends his visit to Cuba on Thursday, pleased at the excellent state of relations between the two nations.

During his stay, Lula da Silva met with President Raul Castro to discuss international current affairs.

On Wednesday, the two statesmen toured a container terminal under construction in the Port of Mariel, where modern facilities are being built to further open Cuba’s doors to the world.

At the start of their working session, the visitors watched a video on the project, which is financed by credit from Brazil and the participation of the Asociacion Economica Internacional A.E.I, a Brazilian group and a Cuban construction company.

Later, the Cuban and Brazilian directors of the project gave a presentation on the work accomplished so far and its significance for this special development zone, such as helping to create jobs.

The first stage of the project involves building a 700-meter dock so that port operations can begin, including the docking of 15-meter draft ships.

A highway and modern rail lines are also being built to Mariel, which is 45 kilometers from Havana.

It was reported that this container terminal, which is being built with environmental considerations, is needed because it is difficult for large ships to enter the port of Havana due to its shallow depth. At the end of the tour, Lula da Silva noted the projects significance for the economic future of Cuba and voiced satisfaction at the good results obtained so far.

Raul Castro said the project was on schedule, and the goal was to maintain that achievement until its completion.

The Cuban president praised the professionalism of the Brazilian experts and urged the Cuban people, especially the agencies and companies involved in this project, to learn from these new experiences, particularly the organizational capacity demonstrated.

Lula da Silva visited Cuba four times as president, the last being in February 2010.

Brazil and Cuban enjoy excellent relations, including in the areas of cooperation, trade, health, education and training, among others.

In the United Nations, Brazil has historically voted for Cuba’s resolution against the U.S. economic, financial and commercial blockade.

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