HAVANA – President Raul Castro met here with North Korea’s foreign minister, Cuban state media reported on Tuesday.

Castro and Pak Ui Chun met Monday to discuss “the state of bilateral relations and different international issues,” an official communique published Tuesday in the Communist Party daily Granma said.

Pak “conveyed greetings from comrade Kim Jong-il (North Korea’s leader) and ratified the feelings of friendship and solidarity toward Cuba of the Korean people,” the communique said.

After participating in the ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana last week, the North Korean foreign minister began an official visit to Cuba that is scheduled to end on Wednesday.

Pak met Monday with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez, whom he joined in signing an agreement ratifying the countries’ willingness to expand cooperation and mutual contacts.

During his first visit to Cuba, the North Korean foreign minister also met with Cuban Communist Party and government officials.

North Korea and Cuba have cooperation agreements in effect covering the education, oil, agriculture and trade areas. EFE