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Cuban President Raul Castro was welcomed with all honors in Paris by his French counterpart Francois Hollande Monday, in his first visit to a European Union country.
President Holland has described the visit as "a new stage in the strengthening of relations between the two countries."
The ceremony took place at the emblematic Arc de Triomphe under tight security, with groups of supporters of the Cuban Revolution present. Several sites of the French capital, including the Champs-Elysees, were decked out in Cuban flags.
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#Cuba'n flags adorn the streets of Paris one day ahead of Castro's state visit. pic.twitter.com/t3zGRf1Ipl
— Sanam Shantyaei (@SanamF24)
January 31, 201
Hollande visited the island nation last May, becoming the the first Western head of state to do so in more than half a century. During his visit he announced a new age in diplomatic relations following Cuba’s restoration of relations with the United States.
The French leader has previously urged Washington to lift its blockade on Cuba in order to diversify the relations in politics, economics, trade, finance, investment, culture and cooperation.
Castro's visit also comes in the wake of a breakthrough deal signed in November that lightens Havana’s foreign debt burden. On Tuesday, he will meet the UNESCO director general, Irina Bokova, the president of the National Assembly, Claude Bartolone, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.
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