On Dec. 13, Raul Castro arrived in Venezuela, the first stop during his first trip abroad as President of Cuba. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez greeted Castro at the airport. “With you we receive Fidel and the Cuban people, and the guerrillas of the Sierra Maestra and the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, an example for all our peoples,” Chávez said. During the visit, Venezuelans and Cubans reviewed the progress of the Cuban-Venezuela Joint Commission and approved 173 projects to be completed in 2009 totaling $2 billion. For several years, Venezuela has provided Cuba with oil at preferential prices and other resources in exchange for services by Cuban volunteers in health, education, sports and agriculture. Castro met with Cuban volunteers and talked about the importance of their jobs, highlighting Cubans who fought in Angola against the U.S.-backed offensive from apartheid South Africa. Cuba and Venezuela have played key roles in strengthening Latin American independence and resistance to U.S. imperialism.
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