Paris, February 1 (RHC)-- Cuban President Raul Castro and his French counterpart, Francois Hollande, attended the signing Monday of several bilateral cooperation accords in Paris on the first day of the Cuban leader's official visit to France.

At the Eliseo Palace in the French capital, where the two presidents held a private meeting before the signing ceremony, Raul Castro and Francois Hollande said the agreements are an expression of the excellent level of relations between the two countries.

During a joint news conference with the French president, Raul pointed to the important role that France is playing in improving relations between Cuba and the European Union.

Earlier, the Cuban president was officially received at the Arch of Triumph by French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Ségolène Royal.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Raul Castro is scheduled to meet with the Director General of UNESCO, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Irina Bokova; the president of the French National Assembly, Claude Bartolone; the president of the Senate, Gérard Larcher; the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo; and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

Accompanying the Cuban president on the two-day official visit to France is a delegation that includes Ricardo Cabrisas, Vice President of the Council of Ministers; Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez; and Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Commerce and Investment.