Friendship between Venezuela and Cuba will continue to stay strong, Venezuelan National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello said  Friday.

The solidarity, friendship and camaraderie between the two nations, promoted by their respective former leaders, Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, will continue to thrive for many years, said Cabello, who began an official three-day visit to Cuba on Friday.

Cabello, after meeting his Cuban counterpart, Esteban Lazo, thanked the Cuban people and their leaders for giving medical treatment to Chavez.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's successor, is committed to continuing the policies spearheaded by Chavez, said Cabello.

Lazo reiterated Cuba's respect for Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution, the term Chavez gave to the socialist reforms he launched to address the country's inequity.

The Cuban legislator also highlighted the extraordinary effort Chavez made to promote unity in Latin America and the Caribbean, saying Chavez served as an inspiration for other revolutionaries in the region.

With Chavez in power, the two countries had maintained good relations. Venezuela supplies Cuba with 100,000 barrels of oil per day, and in exchange, Cuba provides Venezuela with more than 45,000 professionals, mainly in medical and healthcare fields.