Havana, April 11 (RHC), – The upcoming visit to Cuba by French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, on Saturday will be the first one by a high-level government official from that country in the past 30 years and it reveals the common will to re-launch bilateral relations between Paris and Havana.
 
Fabius is expected to arrive here on Saturday, April 12, accompanied by a group of entrepreneurs, on the invitation of Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez.
 
France is willing to have constructive relations with Cuba in all areas, said the spokesperson of the French Foreign Ministry, Romain Nadal, stated PL news agency.
 
The current French government, which took power in 2012, has prioritized its relations with Latin America.
 
“We consider that Cuba has an influence in the region and it is a country with which we must strengthen ties,” said diplomatic sources cited by the agency who pointed to the recent summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States as a successful forum, which was attended by nearly all heads of state and government from this part of the world.
 
The visit to Cuba by the French foreign minister takes place amidst efforts towards the normalization of relations between the European Union and Cuba, and after the decision adopted on February 10 by the Council of European Foreign Ministers to achieve an agreement on political dialog and cooperation with Cuba.
 
During his stay in Cuba, minister Fabius will inaugurate a Ubifrance office, a public facility supporting the development of French companies.
 
France and Cuba are collaborating in the fight on drug trafficking and in programs aimed at countering the effects of climate change, along with other actions in the economic and commercial areas. The two countries also share common interests in culture, science and technology, as well as in teaching French to Cubans through the French Language Academy.