Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba, Bruno Eduardo Rodriguez Parrilla, arrived in the island for a two-day official visit.

The Cuban Foreign Minister will hold discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris.

The Sri Lankan government extended an invitation to the Cuban Foreign Minister when Minister Susil Premajayantha, as the President's Special Envoy, visited Cuba in February this year.

The visit comes as Sri Lanka and Cuba celebrate 55 years since the establishing of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Born on January 22, 1958 in Mexico City, Parilla has been a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, since 1990. He was in charge of this body’s cultural policy matters from 1992.

In December 1993, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Deputy Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations, and in February of 1995, he was appointed Permanent Representative until December 2003.

Since that time he has been Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs in charge of Latin America and the Caribbean and for information and communication.

In October 2004, he was appointed First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs.

He has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba from March 2, 2009.