Havana: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took time out of his busy schedule at the 14th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit to call on ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro on Saturday.
In the one-to-one meeting at the office of the Communist Party of Cuba, Castro turned nostalgic and emotional while recalling his past association with Indian leaders.
He said Singh was the third Congress leader he was meeting during his over four decade long career as a Cuban political leader.
During the meeting, both leaders spoke about enhancing energy cooperation and exchange of human resources between the two countries.
In February 2004, India and Cuba had signed a bilateral agreement on “Protocol on Renewal Energy”.
Castro also enquired about the economic situation in India, while apprising Singh about the situation in Cuba.
According to Dr Sanjaya Baru, the Prime Minister’s Media Advisor, the meeting was a nostalgic one in which Castro particularly recalled his interaction with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during the 1982-83 NAM summit in New Delhi.
The 80-year-old Cuban President, who is recuperating after a major intestinal surgery, met only a selected few leaders during the NAM summit.
Castro was elected Chairman of the NAM summit on Saturday in absentia, and his brother and acting President, Raul Castro, took charge and conducted the proceedings.
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