HAVANA, Ramadan 14, 1435, Jul 11, 2014, SPA -- Russian President Vladimir Putin began a six-day Latin American tour aimed at boosting trade and ties in the region with a stop Friday in Cuba, AP reported. The visit focused on economic and commercial links as well as investment in projects including energy, transportation and civil aviation. Russia has cooperated with Cuba in recent years on offshore oil exploration, which the island hopes could ultimately yield a windfall. "Today, cooperation with Latin American states is one of the key and promising lines of Russia's foreign policy," Putin told Cuban state news agency Prensa Latina. Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported that Putin met with retired leader Fidel Castro for an hour and discussed topics ranging from international affairs and the world economy to Russian-Cuban relations. --SPA 23:25 LOCAL TIME 20:25 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w