Spain wishes to play leading role in EU-Cuba rapprochement

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo said Monday that his country wished to play a leading role in the process of rapprochement between the European Union (EU) and Cuba.

Garcia-Margallo met with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez and exchanged views on various issues regarding bilateral cooperation as well as the recent agreement between Havana and Brussels.

The Spanish diplomat welcomed the deal, saying the March agreement, the culmination of nearly two years of negotiations, "makes us very happy."

The two foreign ministers also discussed bilateral political and economic relations, particularly after Madrid agreed earlier this month to rearrange Cuba's debt amounting to more than 2 billion euros (2.26 billion U.S. dollars).

Also on Monday, Garcia-Margallo met several other top Cuban officials to discussed ways to expand economic cooperation between the two nations.

Spain is one of the leading investors in Cuba, particularly in the tourism sector.