TEHRAN -- Hojjatoleslam Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the Founder of the Islamic Republic, the late Imam Khomeini, arrived at Jose Marti International Airport and was welcomed by Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage yesterday.

Hojjatoleslam Khomeini is visiting Havana upon the invitation of Cuban Leader Fidel Castro.

According to the Cuban Prensa Latina news agency, he expressed pleasure with his visit to Cuba and called it a rare opportunity to further boost Tehran-Havana ties.

During his May visit to the Iranian capital, Castro extended an invitation to Hassan Khomeini to visit Cuba in a bid to develop cooperation between the two countries on the basis of mutual respect.

As members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Group of Seventy-Seven (G-77) countries, Iran and Cuba have taken common positions in international forums.