French FM to visit Cuba next Saturday

French Foreign Affairs and International Development Minister Laurent Fabius will visit Cuba on April 12, the ministry confirmed Friday. "This trip will be the first visit by a French minister of foreign affairs to this country in more than 30 years," the ministry spokesperson Romain Nadal told a press briefing. During the trip, the French top diplomat will meet his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, in a bid to "establish a constructive relationship with Cuba in all areas," said the Quai d'Orsay spokesperson. The two ministers will discuss international issues, the development of bilateral relations, as well as the upcoming negotiations for a Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and Cuba, he added. France and its European partners suspended partnership links with Cuba in 2003 but resumed relations five years later.