French foreign minister goes to Cuba next week
“Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, will pay an official visit to Cuba on April 12,” says a communiqué of the French Foreign Ministry issued in Paris today, April 4.
“This trip will be the first of a French Foreign Minister to that country since more than 30 years ago,” the announcement continues. “For that reason, Laurent Fabius will meet with his Cuban counterpart, Mr. Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.”
The two diplomats met in Paris last March 14, though behind closed doors. Other recent visits of Cuban officials to France include those of Dagoberto Rodríguez, vice minister of Foreign Relations, in June 2011 and April 2012, and Manuel Marrero Cruz, minister of Tourism, in January 2013.
Pierre Lellouche, secretary of State and Foreign Relations, visited Havana in December 2011; Jean-Pierre Bel, president of the Senate, did so in January 2013.
“Latin America is one of the priorities of France’s foreign policy,” the announcement stresses. “France wishes to strengthen its ties with all the countries in this region, in all their diversity. In this framework, it wishes to establish with Cuba a constructive relationship in all aspects.
“Mr. Laurent Fabius will inaugurate a bureau of the agency Ubifrance, whose role will be to support French companies as they approach the Cuban market.”
Ubifrance, the French Agency for the Development of International Business, is part of the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry. Ubifrance promotes technologies, products, services and know-how from France and connects French professionals with their international counterparts.
Fabius’ visit to Cuba “will occur just before negotiations begin between the European Union and Cuba with the perspective of an accord on political dialogue and cooperation,” ends the communiqué.
This visit is the continuation of contacts between both governments that culminated in a joint declaration on the resumption of bilateral cooperation, signed in Havana on Nov. 30, 2010.
Ever since, bilateral political consultations have been maintained between the foreign ministries of both countries.
According to the website of the French Foreign Ministry, the main French investor in Cuba is the Pernod-Ricard Group (Havana Club rum). Other groups concentrate on tourism (Accor), construction (Bouygues), telecommunications (Alcatel-Lucent, which laid the underwater fiber-optics cable between Venezuela and Cuba), energy (Total, Alstom), transportation (Air France), electrical manufacturing and agricultural products.
About 60 French companies are active partners of Cuban entities or representatives of French companies. Of those, 13 are joint ventures and 20 are branches. French companies participate regularly in the annual Havana International Fair.
The French ambassador in Cuba is Jean Mendelson; his Cuban counterpart in France is Héctor Ibarza Cabrera.
[Photo of Laurent Fabius.]
