Cuban President Raul Castro Visits Paris Seeking Aid And Investment
Cuban President Raul Castro has left Havana for France in a two-day official state visit in an apparent bid to attract French investments and forge strong bilateral partnership with its interlocutor in Europe.
The visit comes following French Socialist President Francois Hollande's trip to Cuba eight months ago. The 84-year-old Cuban leader is set to be warmly received by his host at Elysee palace after being welcomed with full military honors on Monday.
"This visit marks a new step in the development of a stronger relationship between the two countries," remarked Hollande as quoted by The Washington Times.
Cooperation agreements are bound to be signed by both countries which both nations hope will lead to the emergence and flourishing vibrant industries like environmental, transport, and tourism.
With French help, Cuba was able to secure a debt relief deal with the Paris Club of creditors to which the country owed $8.5 billion worth of overdue interest payments according to France 24. The Cuban government, in turn, pledged to pay back $2.6 billion within a year and half.
Cuba's gradual and cautious re-integration to mainstream world economy comes after the Obama administration lifted many Cold War-era sanctions against it in his effort to normalize the more than half-century frozen ties between US and the island nation.
Despite the ongoing normalization process, the official embargo remains due to Republican-controlled Congress' refusal to complement Obama's unilateral moves.
In a separate news, French DJ superstar David Guetta and his Cuban model girlfriend Jessica Ledon were included among the select guests in Hollande's state banquet for the visiting Castro as mentioned in a report by the Daily Mail.
