The governments of Saint Lucia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela are strengthening diplomatic relations via a major cultural exchange.

The Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan naval training vessel, is to visit Saint Lucia today, as part of its 27th training cruise.

The cruise is dubbed Caribbean 2015 and comprises of two phases. Phase one included visits to Barbados, Belize, Cuba, and Jamaica, while phase two included stops in Honduras, Bahamas, Cuba and finally Saint Lucia.

“It is an honour for the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to welcome to Port Castries the training ship Simon Bolivar, BE 11, also known as the ambassador without frontiers," said H.E. Leif Escalona, Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to Saint Lucia.

"The vessel will be open to visit from the time it is docked for school children, families, the cadets, the police: all groups in Saint Lucia, are invited to visit the vessel to have a tour. The cadets on the vessel will share our culture, and on day two, which is the Saturday, the tours for the public will continue. We encourage parents to bring their kids because it's a non school day, and it is a beautiful military vessel."

The ship will be comprised of third year cadets of the Venezuelan military, a crew, and Venezuelan dignitaries. It will be docked at  Point Seraphine, Castries.