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February 1st, 2016 
Awake Goy 
nsnbc : Cuban President Raul Castro arrived in the French capital Paris for a State visit on Saturday. On Monday Castro’s official part of the visit begins with a visit at the Arc de Triomphe before being received by his French counterpart Francois Hollande.
Castro and Hollande meet at the Elyse Presidential Palace and attend a state dinner. Castro will also be meeting a number of other French officials on Tuesday. Both French and Cuban officials noted that the visit marks the dawn of a new era in Cuban – French relations.
The visit was announced on January 19 and comes in the wake of thawing Cuban / US and Western relations since 2014.
Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelia Sierra said Cuba wishes to expand and further diversify its relations with France in the fields of economy, commerce, finance, investment, and culture. French media quoted “French officials” as saying that the two countries are expected to sign an economic road-map to develop ties that will also include agreements on transport, tourism and “fair trade”.
The visit to Paris is President Raul Castro’s first State visit to Europe since he succeeded his brother Fidel Castro as Cuban President in 2006. Fidel Castro had visited France in 1995 when he met with French President Francois Mitterand.
In 2015 French President Francois Hollande became the first western European head of State to visit Cuba in over 50 years. Hollande was one of the most outspoken western Heads of State that called for the lifting of the United States’ economic trade embargo that had been in place since 1962.
The landmark handshake between Juan Manuel Santos and Timoshenko, with two helping hands from Cuban President Raul Castro. (Justice for Colombia).
Castro’s visit to France comes only days after FARC-EP Chief Negotiator Ivan Marquez and the Peace Commissioner of the Colombian government, Sergio Jaramillo, spoke before a European Parliament session through a video link that was set up between Brussels, Bogota and Havana, Cuba where peace talks continue. The EU designated the FARC-EP as a terrorist organization, arguing that it used the strategy of terrorism, and because of human rights violations.
Maquez lobbied the EU MPs to remove the FARC-EP from the EU’s terror list. A bilateral ceasefire has been in place since January 1, and the FARC-EP and the Colombian government are expected to sign a final peace accord and transform the FARC into a non-militant political organization. Raul Castro has played a crucial role by facilitating the Colombian peace that ended 51 years of armed conflict.
CH/L – nsnbc 01.02.2016
Source Article from http://nsnbc.me/2016/02/01/cubas-raul-castro-on-official-visit-in-france/
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