Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has arrived in Cuba on a two-day visit, her first official trip to the Communist nation since assuming office two years ago.
She was received by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on arrival at Havana's international airport on Monday afternoon.
Rousseff is scheduled to hold talks with President Raul Castro in Havana on Tuesday, but it is not clear whether she would meet former leader Fidel Castro while in Cuba.
Ahead of her Cuban trip, Brazil's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Rousseff hopes to "increase dialog and deepen the bilateral cooperation, with an emphasis on the economic agenda."
Currently, Brazil is Cuba's second largest trading partner after Venezuela. Bilateral trade between the two countries was worth $642 million in 2011, about 31 percent more than that of the previous year.
Nevertheless, media reports citing Brazilian officials indicate that Rousseff will use her visit to Cuba to raise human rights issues, including the continued detention of political prisoners in defiance of international calls.
She is expected to exert pressure on Cuban officials to allow dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez to visit Brazil for attending the premiere of a documentary about media freedom in Cuba. The Brazilian government has already issued a visa to Sanchez for visiting the Latin American country.
Rousseff is scheduled to leave Cuba on Wednesday for Haiti, where Brazilian troops are leading the U.N. peacekeeping force. That trip will also be her first official visit to Haiti after taking office.
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