Caballero Rodriguez made the statement at a press conference in Zagreb on his first visit to Croatia, during which he had had a series of meetings in the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. Today he met the President of the Republic, the Minister of Culture and the Mayor of Zagreb.
"Cuba supports Croatia's aspirations to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, because that is also in our interest," the Cuban deputy foreign minister said, adding that during his talks in Zagreb he thanked Croatia for its support in countering attempts by the United States to block Cuba's candidacy in international forums.
He said that all his meetings in Zagreb focused on ways of intensifying bilateral relations.
"The peoples of the former Yugoslavia had strong and varied relations with Cuba, and now it is necessary to adjust them to the new reality and develop bilateral relations with each country individually," Caballero Rodriguez said.
After Croatia, the Cuban official travels to Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria.
Caballero Rodriguez said that both Croatian President Stjepan Mesic and Culture Minister Bozo Biskupic had accepted invitations to visit Cuba, expressing hope that that would help strengthen ties between the two countries.
Caballero Rodriguez welcomed the planned establishment of the Croatian-Cuban Friendship Group, scheduled for later today, saying that it would help translate into reality the idea of organising Cuban Culture Days in Zagreb this October.