The authorities are seeking to create the image of a new dynamic government that is taking a leading role on the world stage. The value of any state visit lies exclusively in the amount of coverage it generates. After all, so few people go to Pyongyang that that trip guaranteed a flood of news coverage both here and abroad. And Castro is such an expert image-maker himself that there was no doubt that he would arrange Putin's visit for maximum propaganda effect. The more publicity, the more attention the government gets.
Liberal commentators love to warn against the dangers of returning to a Soviet foreign policy.
Russia today just doesn't have the resources to be a superpower and play by the same rules that the Soviet Union played by, they love to point out. The Kremlin today doesn't intend to play the role of superpower. It doesn't intend to play any international role. Its attention is focused exclusively on domestic matters. And that is why it is expending such efforts to create the illusion of a lively foreign policy.