Cuba USA
- Cuban Vice President Miguel Díaz Canel Speech At Cop21
President Francois HollandeSecretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon; Distinguished Heads of State and Government, delegates and guests; Mr. President: Allow me first and foremost to express the condolences of the people and government of Cuba...
- The Network In Defense Of Humanity In The Caribbean Mobilizes In Defense Of The Bolivarian Revolution
Last October 22 the Caribbean Chapter in Defense of Humanity was founded in Barbados. The 30 Caribbean personalities from 11 French speaking and English be in favor and offer support of solidarity in the battle of the peoples and the process of social...
- The Visit Of Raúl Castro To Mexico
by Ángel Guerra Cabrera The official visit to Mexico by Cuban President Raúl Castro inevitably brings to mind the strong and fraternal ties that bond both courtiers and cultures throughout the centuries. Mérida, capital of Yucatán where Raúl arrived...
- Proclamation Of Latin America And Caribbean As A Zone Of Peace
PROCLAMATION OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN AS A ZONE OF PEACE (ORIGINAL SIGNED BY THE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMUNITY OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STATES) The Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean...
- “brazil Makes Efforts For Mariel To Be A Great Commercial, Economic, Political And Strategic Success For Cuba, The Caribbean And Latin America”
Interview of Cesario Melantonio Neto, Brazilian Ambassador in Cubaby Hedelberto López Source: Rebelión The Brazilian ambassador to Cuba, Cesario Melantonio Neto, recently arrived in the Caribbean Island had the privilege of being accompanied by the...
Cuba USA
Strengthening of relations between France and Cuba
by Salim Lamrani
source Rebelion
translation Cuba - Network in Defense of Humanity
The strengthening of ties between France and Cuba marks the beginningof a new era. Paris demonstrates that it is possible to have cordialand fruitful relations with Havana based on sovereign equality and reciprocity and not interference in internal affairs.
The visit of Raúl Castro to France on February 1 of 2016 is in response to\ the historical visit of François Hollande last May 2015.
On February 1 Raúl Castro visits his French counterpart François Hollande. It is the second time that a Cuban presidente makes an official visit to France since the famous trip of Fidel Castro in 1995 then received by François Mitterrand. The two day visit will contribute to strengthen cooperation between both countries.
According to the Élysée Palace, it marks a “new era” that will bond French and Cuban relations. For its part the Cuban Foreign Affairs ministry confirmed “the excellent state of bilateral ties and political dialogue”. “France is an important partner for Cuba with whom we maintain significant bonds of cooperation and mutual understanding”, explained the Cuban diplomat, Rogelio Sierra.
In May of 2015 François Hollande made a historical visit to Cuba the first French president and second European president (after Cyprus) to visit the island.France is aware of the political importance for Cuba that has prestige in Latin America and is member of two institutions of regional integration such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (with 33 members) and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America (13 nations). In Havana François Hollande emphasized the important of his trip: “Coming to Cuba is coming to a country that represented for Latin America a form of expression, of vindication of dignity and independence. This explains the important role in many mediations.
After assuming power in 2012 François Hollande made of Latin America and Cuba a priority. In January of 2015 he nominated Jean-Pierre Bel former president of the Senate and specialist on Latin America, a special advisor to the presidency of the Republic for Latin America.
Jean-Pierre Bel has played an important role in the strengthening of ties with the largest island of the Caribbean aware that it is an entry to the Latin American continent in a context marked by the rapprochement between Washington and Havana.
Paris indicated the route to follow for the European Union that continues to impose the “common position” that is an obstacle for normalization of relations between Brussels and Havana calling on it to adopt a new constructive focus based on mutual interest and abandon the policy imposed by Washington.
The United States has lost part of its influence in the region and France can play an important role strengthening cooperation with the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The continent has a population that surpasses 600 million and represents a favorable land for investments by French companies.
On December of 2015 the Paris Club that presided a group of public creditors concluded an historical agreement with Cuba on the foreign debt it has not paid since the1980s, About 4 000 dollars of million the debt that represents a final amount of 2 600 million dollars will be paid in period of 18 years. On this subject François Hollande was personally involved to achieve the agreement that offers “a framework of definitive and lasting solution [8]” that normalizes economic and financial relations with the western nations and will boost foreign
investments in Cuba.
Today there are 60 French companies in Cuba including Pernod-Ricard that recently won an important battle against the multinational Bacardi rum that had stolen the Havana Club label in the US market. In fact, the office of Labels and Patents of the United States decided that Cuba was the legitimate owner of the most famous label of rum in the world. The Island grants the international commercialization of this product to the French Company of liquors. Thus Pernod-Ricard has been able to register the patent and sell Havana Cuba rum in the United States when the economic sanctions are lifted.
Also on October of 2015 the French Ministry of National Education signed a plan of action with the Cuban Ministry of higher Education to aid cooperation and exchange between the two institutions. Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem received her Cuban counterpart Rodolfo Alarcón Ortiz in Paris to formalize the agreement demonstrating the excellent state of bilateral ties. This agreement adds the inauguration of the new center of the French Alliance in Havana on May of 2015 that strengthens the presence of the language, the culture and French
values in Cuba. The Alliance of the Capital receives about 10 000 students and is one of the most important in the world.
The strengthening of bonds between France and Cuba marks the beginning of a new era. In this manner Paris demonstrates it is possible to have cordial and fruitful relations with Havana based on sovereign equality, reciprocity and non intervention in internal affairs.
- Cuban Vice President Miguel Díaz Canel Speech At Cop21
President Francois HollandeSecretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon; Distinguished Heads of State and Government, delegates and guests; Mr. President: Allow me first and foremost to express the condolences of the people and government of Cuba...
- The Network In Defense Of Humanity In The Caribbean Mobilizes In Defense Of The Bolivarian Revolution
Last October 22 the Caribbean Chapter in Defense of Humanity was founded in Barbados. The 30 Caribbean personalities from 11 French speaking and English be in favor and offer support of solidarity in the battle of the peoples and the process of social...
- The Visit Of Raúl Castro To Mexico
by Ángel Guerra Cabrera The official visit to Mexico by Cuban President Raúl Castro inevitably brings to mind the strong and fraternal ties that bond both courtiers and cultures throughout the centuries. Mérida, capital of Yucatán where Raúl arrived...
- Proclamation Of Latin America And Caribbean As A Zone Of Peace
PROCLAMATION OF LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN AS A ZONE OF PEACE (ORIGINAL SIGNED BY THE HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT OF THE COMMUNITY OF LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STATES) The Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean...
- “brazil Makes Efforts For Mariel To Be A Great Commercial, Economic, Political And Strategic Success For Cuba, The Caribbean And Latin America”
Interview of Cesario Melantonio Neto, Brazilian Ambassador in Cubaby Hedelberto López Source: Rebelión The Brazilian ambassador to Cuba, Cesario Melantonio Neto, recently arrived in the Caribbean Island had the privilege of being accompanied by the...