Moscow - In the first visit of a Cuban leader to Moscow since the fall of the former Soviet Union, President Raul Castro and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed several agreements Friday to boost their countries' relations.

The focus was on strategic cooperation in economic areas, the Russian presidential office said, according to a report by the Interfax agency.

Raul, the brother of Cuban communist revolutionary leader, is staying in Moscow through February 4 and is expected to meet Premier Vladimir Putin on Monday.

The visit is the latest step towards improving relations between Havana and Moscow which had cooled off after the collapse of communism in the former Soviet Union in
1991.

Russia has lately been stepping up its diplomatic efforts with those countries in Latin America - such as Cuba and Venezuela - which are critical towards the United States in an apparent bid to boost its influence in the region. (dpa)