Above: the meeting between Castro and Maduro (Photo: GC)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro met with former Cuban leader Fidel Casro this weekend during Cuba’s ceremonies to mark the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the revolution led by Castro, according to a government release.

The meeting spoke about “moments of revolutionary struggle,” according to a government statement, and about the legacy of the late Hugo Chavez, perhaps Cuba’s strongest ally in recent memory.

The two sides also discussed “the challenges facing the region and the world at large, such as food security, the preservation of peace and climate change.”

This weekend’s ceremonies marked the 60th anniversary of the assault on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba in 1953, widely considered the beginning of the Cuban revolution.

Maduro gave Castro a painting done by Chavez, Cuba’s government said.

Maduro is on his second visit to Cuba since taking office in the spring.