Fabius’ visit, seen from París

The influential French newspaper Le Monde on Sunday 13 published a brief summary of the visit to Cuba by the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, titled “Laurent Fabius Visits Cuba, a ‘Friend’ of France.” Progreso Weekly has translated it and publishes it here.

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In a highlight of the event, Laurent Fabius met for one hour and a half with Cuban President Raúl Castro. On Saturday, April 12, the foreign minister was the first head of French diplomacy to visit Cuba since Claude Cheysson, 31 years ago.

Laurent Fabius is also the first of the European ministers to make the trip after the European Union opened the door, in February, to a normalization of relations with the island’s communist regime, frozen for 10 years.

‘NUMEROUS CONVERGENCES’

“Relations between our two countries can be expanded,” declared Mr. Fabius at the end of his visit, speaking to representatives of the small French community in Havana.

To French diplomacy, the change in stance of the EU is justified by the small signs of an opening given in recent years by the Cuban regime, such as the elimination of the exit permit for Cubans, the release of political prisoners, the non-application of the death sentence and small economic reforms.

“The important advances remain to be accomplished” on the subject of human rights, Mr. Fabius acknowledged.

“To lift the blockade on political dialogue does not necessarily mean to agree on everything. There have been evolutions on the matter of economic and social rights. Cuba has made spectacular advances, for example on the right to education and the right to health care, but we think that the political rights are equally indispensable. […] While differences exist between France and Cuba, the convergences are equally very numerous. Between friends, we can talk about everything.”

’60 FRENCH ENTERPRISES’

In Havana, Laurent Fabius also wore for the first time his hat as head of foreign trade. One of his interlocutors was Rodrigo Malmierca, minister of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, author of the new law, which was approved but not yet published.

The Cuban regime is, in fact, in the midst of modifying its legislation to attract foreign investors. With 60 French companies present on the island, France ranks only ninth on the list of Cuba’s commercial partners.

Cuba’s economic dynamism has not yet proven itself (its growth peaked at 2.7 percent in 2013 and is expected to reach only 2.2 percent this year), but the outlook presented by the ongoing reforms and the future special economic development zone at the deep-water port of Mariel, still under construction, give a peek at the possibilities.

Investment in Cuba is nevertheless an exercise made difficult by the effects of the embargo decreed by the United States against businesses that trade with the island.

“One the discussions on a free-trade accord between the United States and the EU take place, it is very likely that this situation will evolve,” declared Laurent Fabius in Havana.