Rajapaksa is currently on a 3-day official visit to Cuba and held bilateral talks with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro.
Presidential spokesman Wijayananda Herath said in Havana that Rajapaksa personally thanked Castro for voting against the US sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.
Cuba was one of the 18 nations voted in Sri Lanka's favour over the resolution concerning the nation's human rights accountability and reconciliation with the Tamil minority.
The resolution was adopted with 24 nations, including India, voting in favour of the US sponsored resolution.
Herath said Cuba pledged assistance to the country in diverse spheres and agreed to increase more technical scholarships for Sri Lankans.
