Top Russian lawmaker pays tribute to fallen soviet soldiers in Cuba

Russian Parliament Speaker Sergey Naryshkin on Wednesday paid his respect to the Mausoleum of the Internationalist Soviet Soldier in Havana.

Naryshkin laid a floral wreath before the eternal flame that marks the final resting place of the 68 soldiers who died in the line of duty in Cuba.

"I have always dreamed of visiting this formidable country, the island of liberty," the lawmaker told Havana-based news agency Prensa Latina.

"I finally made it, and I leave content and confident in the great prospects for developing our relations," Naryshkin added.

The legislator's visit coincides with Cuban leader Raul Castro's trip to Moscow, where he is taking part in celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.