The United States, the European Union and major Latin American countries have condemned Maduro’s May 20 re-election, saying it did not meet democratic standards.
Diaz Canel will meet his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, will pay tribute to late leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chavez Frias and will visit facilities associated to Cuba´s cooperation projects in the Venezuelan capital.
Maduro was the first foreign leader to meet with Diaz-Canel last month after he succeeded Raul Castro to become president of the Communist-run island.
Venezuela, which holds the world’s largest oil reserves, exchanges crude for Cuban medical and other technical services, though deliveries have dropped in recent years during an economic implosion in the country of 30 million people.
“We felt (Maduro’s) victory as our own,” Diaz-Canel said. “Venezuela has supported Cuba in many ways throughout its history. We have a debt of gratitude.”
