The ambassador of the island to France, Hector Igarza, highlighted that not only is this a historic event for being the first official visit of a French president to the island, but because the links between both nations go back to the 19th Century. The contacts go from history, to architecture, music and other fields.
As part of the program of the Head of State, there are scheduled official talks, an economic forum between companies of both countries and the inauguration of a new headquarter for the French Alliance, he said interviewed by Prensa Latina.
Igarza emphasized the objective is that concrete facts result from the visit: trade, cooperation, political dialogue, agreements in the area of educational and scientific exchange to result in a fruitful and lasting relationship.
Cuba is interested in the development of French investments in the island in prioritized sectors like agriculture and food, renewable energies, transport, biotechnology. A basic objective would be to interest enterprises in the Special Development Zone of Mariel, he added.
The diplomat indicated that Hollande´s visit is also part of the objective of his government to strengthen relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. This will allow him to enter a country that has given proof of its mobilizing capacity in the region.
Cuba´s power of call during the Second Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), held in Havana on January, 2014, called the attention of French authorities, he extolled.
The final document of the meeting also declared Latin American and the Caribbean a zone of peace, free of nuclear weapons and were conflicts that may appear would be solved internally, among the nations through negotiations, peaceful means and without foreign interventions.
The Cuban ambassador stressed that the island is an agglutinating point. As member of several regional mechanisms of cooperation and integration, through the island can also be accessed other members of Celac and the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America.
On the recent official visit to France of Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on April 20 and 21, he described it as very positive. It was an opportunity to review bilateral relations and prepare the most significant points of Hollande´s trip.
Rodriguez was able to meet the most important political figures of the country, as Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, Prime Minister Manuel Vall and President Hollande.
It is usual for French authorities to receive their visitors according to protocol. The Cuban FM, however, set a precedence as he was received by the three highest officials of the European nation, because this does not usually happens.
Igarza added this was interpreted as showing the good health of relations between both countries.
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