It is expected a greater positioning of the island in France in order to diversify new products and modalities to market, such as diving, navigation, nature, tours, heritage cities, events and incentives, cultural and health tourism, according to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR).

The 38th edition of the International Tourism Fair FITCuba 2018, the largest event of this sector in the island, will be launched at the Paris event.

FITCuba scheduled from May 2 to 6 in the keys north of Villa Clara (center) will be dedicated to the sun and beach product and will have the United Kingdom as a guest country.

The Cuban delegation to the fair in the French capital is made of officials from MINTUR and executives from Cubatur and Havanatur travel agencies, Cubanacan Hotels and associated companies such as Iberostar and Blue Diamonds, among others, the statement adds.

The French market continues to be of great importance for Cuban tourism, as it reached last year a 12 percent growth in its emission of travelers to the island’s destinations.

(Prensa Latina)

On the afternoon of February 3, Army General and President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Raúl Castro Ruz returned to Cuba after making a two-day state visit to the French Republic.

During his stay in the European nation, Raúl was received by President François Hollande and other French state and government officials. He also held a meeting with Irina Bokova, director general of UNESCO and visited the Museum of Mankind.

(Granma)

The day began early in UNESCO’s Paris headquarters, a site visited by Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro Ruz, in 1995, after participating in the Copenhagen World Summit of Social Development.

Meeting Raúl at the main entrance was Director General Irina Bokova, who has held this position since 2009, and visited Havana on two occasions, most recently in September of 2015.

She accompanied Raúl through the building, well-known not only for housing the important institution, but also for its extraordinary architecture, to a room where UNESCO officials awaited him. With cell phones in hand, they recorded the visit, applauding and cheering. Some had also witnessed Fidel’s visit to the Paris headquarters more than 20 years ago.

As has been the case in all of Raúl’s meetings here, an atmosphere of cordiality reigned, one based on the almost 70 year relationship between Cuba and UNESCO. Discussion focused on the importance of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, recently approved by the UN, in which all countries committed themselves to quality education and the eradication of poverty, among other objectives.

Bokova said that UNESCO will continue to accompany Cuba every step of the way, emphasizing that prospects for cooperation between the two parties are significant, and describing Cuba’s accomplishments in education as very positive.

For his part, Raúl affirmed that Cuba is willing to continue collaborating with all the world’s countries, as it has done, for example, in the Colombian peace talks and efforts to combat the Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

Following his activities at UNESCO headquarters, the Cuban leader moved on to the French National Assembly to meet its President, Claude Bartolone. He was again surprised by the reception, another gala ceremony like that at the Arc

de Triomphe, with the Republican Guard cavalry.

He traveled next to the Senate to meet its leader, Gerard Larcher, the country’s second most high ranking official, and then to see the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, who described Raúl’s visit as historic.

The marathon for Cuba’s delegation continued with a meeting at the Hotel de Matignon with Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

As evening fell, the Cuban President arrived to visit the Museum of Man, and after an hour touring its exhibits, exited to be greeted by friends of Cuba, again chanting and cheering Raúl, Fidel and the Cuban Revolution.

(Leticia Martínez, Granma)

(Council of State transcript – GI translation)

Good evening.

Esteemed President François Hollande;

Distinguished members of the French delegation;

Media representatives:

First of all, allow me to convey a cordial, affectionate greeting to the French people and their authorities, in the name of the people and government of Cuba. Our countries are united by historic and cultural links and deep ties of friendship.

I am sincerely grateful for the words expressed by President Hollande and for the warm welcome offered the Cuban delegation.

We have just concluded official talks with President François Hollande. This exchange, like the one in May this past year, in Havana, has taken place within a cordial environment, reflecting the mutual respect which characterizes our bilateral relations.

This is the first state visit by a Cuban President to France, and to a European Union member country. It reaffirms the excellent state of our relations, and reflects our shared willingness to consolidate political dialogue at the highest level.

We have held productive talks addressing the diverse issues on our bilateral agenda, following through on objectives and agreements reached during the historic visit made by President Hollande to Cuba last May, the first by a French head of state to our country.

We reiterate our desire to broaden and diversify bilateral relations with France, in all dimensions: political, economic-commercial, financial, cooperative, academic and cultural.

We have signed a Bilateral Economic Agenda which represents an important joint mechanism for the projection, follow-up and promotion of economic-commercial ties, those of cooperation and investment, including medium and long term plans.

Likewise significant is the signing of a bilateral agreement on Cuba’s debt to France, which creates more favorable conditions for the development of financial relations, and the execution of new plans and joint projects.

As is known, this past December 12, Cuba reached an important agreement with the creditor countries which are members of the Paris Club’s ad hoc group.

We reiterate our thanks to the French government for its significant role and constructive position in reaching this important outcome, which opens a new stage in economic, commercial and financial relations between Cuba and these countries, and will facilitate access to financing in the medium and long term, very necessary to the completion of projected investments in our development plans.

We recognize and welcome the willingness expressed by French authorities to accompany us and actively participate in plans for the economic and social development of Cuba.

We likewise thank the leadership of France for promoting construction of a new stage of relations between the European Union and Cuba, on the basis of mutual respect and reciprocity, in particular regarding negotiation of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, underway since April of 2014, currently in a very advanced phase.

We appreciate the traditional French position supporting the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba by the United States, which is the principal obstacle to the development of our country, and economic-commercial relations.

Just two months ago, this city was the site of the historic Paris Agreement, the result of an arduous process of negotiation during the 21st Conference of Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change. We express our congratulations to France and its authorities for the organization of this event, and for their valuable contribution, which allowed for the reaching of a balanced agreement, acceptable to all parties.

This next month of May, as the result of efforts and interest in increasing mutual understanding, for the first time, a month of Cuban culture in France and French culture in Cuba, will take place.

We have reiterated to the French government our disposition and commitment to maintaining this solid relationship. France has been, is, and will be an important associate for Cuba.

We are two states with different historical, cultural, geographic realities, and political systems. Nonetheless, the friendly, productive and respectful relation we maintain demonstrates that it is possible to undertake common goals and projects, which contribute to the development of our respective nations and all of humanity.

To conclude, I reiterate my affectionate greetings to this majestic and hospitable city which I am honored to visit, and my sincere thanks to President Hollande for the warm welcome he has offered us.

Thank you very much. (Aplausos)

“Today we are opening a new page in the links between the two countries,” said Hollande during a joint statement from the Elysee Palace.

He referred to the signing of a bilateral economic road map covering sectors like tourism and transport, while noting that France is among Cuba’s main trade partners.

He added that all this was possible thanks to an agreement reached on December 12 between Cuba and the Paris Club on the treatment to the Cuban debt.

“We want to go further bilaterally, boosting great cultural cooperation, university exchanges. The French Development Agency is working on the identification of projects that could be boosted, he said.

Hollande made emphasis on the existence of a very significant cooperation in the sector of medicine. It is a country that trains many doctors who collaborate with other countries, he added.

The French president also stressed that France has always been by the side of Cuba and aware of the need to put en end to the US blockade, which he described as “a vestige of the Cold War.”

Meanwhile, Raul Castro highlighted that the two countries are linked by longstanding culturas links and deep bonds of friendship.

This is the first visit of a Cuban president to France and to a member country of the European Union. It reaffirms the excellent state of relations and reflects the shared willingness to consolidate the political dialogue at the highest level, he noted.

“We have held fruitful talks about different issues of the bilateral agenda. We ratify the willingness to broaden and diversify the relations and cooperation in the political, economic-commercial, financial, academnic and cultural fields, said Raul Castro.

He added that the bilateral economic agenda represents an important joint mechanism for the generation, monitoring and promotion of economic-commercial links of cooperation and investment, even in the mid and long terms.

He highlighted the signing of the agreement on the Cuba’s debt to france, “creating more favorable conditions for the development of financial relations and the execution of new joint plans and projects.”

“We also appreciate France’s leadership in promoting the construction of a new phase in the relations between the European Union ans Cuba, base don respect and reciprocity,” stressed the Cuban president.

(Prensa Latina)

The COP21 High Level Segment took place December 7-8, with remarks made by heads of state and delegation leaders, as a compliment to the meeting held to initiate the summit.

Cuban Minister of Science, Technology and Environment Elba Rosa Pérez reiterated the country’s commitment to the success of the Paris conference, which she insisted must produce a fair, balanced, ambitious agreement, in a transparent manner.
Speaking during the high level session, Pérez said that Cuba will continue to work constructively to respond to the hopes which the world’s people have placed in the hands of the conference.
She quoted Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who during the earlier meeting of heads of state insisted that the agreement emerging from the gathering reflect a firm global commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Venezuelan People’s Power Minister of Eco-socialism and Waters Guillermo Barreto expressed confidence in the achievement of a fair, equitable and ecologically sound accord at the United Nations event.

Barreto recalled that during the failed Copenhagen conference, President Hugo Chávez took to the streets with the demand to change the system, not just the climate, which inspired a rejection of the unfair agreement which rich countries attempted to impose at the last minute.

Nicaragua demanded direct, unconditional reparations for developing Latin American countries facing the consequences of climate change they did not create, likewise the African Group emphasized that a new agreement must prioritize the vulnerability and needs of this continent.

While Laurent Fabius, COP21 president, insisted on a worldwide agreement, nations of the South advocated for shared but differentiated responsibility, given the predominant role industrialized nations have played in environmental pollution. Developing nations demand that these ricer countries demonstrate the political will to remediate the problem by providing resources, training and technology to support adaptation to climate change and the development of alternate energy sources, Prensa Latina reported.

During an African ministerial conference on the environment, Ban Ki-moon praised these countries’ commitment to negotiate as a group, as powerful bloc of 54 nations, and welcomed the implementation of initiatives regarding adaptation to climate change and renewable energy resources.

Ban additionally highlighted the July adoption of an action agenda on financing in Addis Abba, as well as the UN agreement, in New York this past September, of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and 17 goals.

(Granma)

The French Foreign Minister and President of the Conference noted that the fight against climate change is an imperative obligation and stressed that, over the course of just 11 days, a universal and ambitious agreement must be reached.

Since November 30, the French capital has hosted 150 heads of state and government, participating in the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21).

The Conference is the setting in which they aim to reach a “universal agreement on climate change”, applicable to all countries and with the main objective of maintaining the increase in global temperature below 2°C.

Climate action was one of the 17 goals adopted last September at the UN Sustainable Development Summit.

The opening day of the event was marked by speeches from attending leaders, while participants observed a minute of silence for the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in the French capital and Saint-Denis, which left a total of 132 dead and over 300 injured.

As a result of the attacks, the Conference was reduced to official negotiations, with all side events suspended, including marches, demonstrations and festivals, and heavy security deployed.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon stated, “No cause can justify the violence that has occurred in recent days in Paris, but also in Beirut, in Baghdad or in Bamako.”

Meanwhile, French President Hollande called for “solidarity” in efforts against climate change and stressed that “No government should be able to shirk its commitments,” and that “No territory should be left alone to face climate change.”

U.S. President Barack Obama noted, “That future is one that we have the power to change. Right here. Right now. But only if we rise to this moment.”

According to the Argentine newspaper La Nación, before his speech, Obama met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, and warned of the importance that the two countries coordinate regarding the fight against climate change and that there be “transparency” in their efforts.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated, “We have gone beyond the target fixed by the Kyoto Protocol for the period 1991-2012. Russia not only prevented the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, by also significantly reduced them (…) Nearly 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent weren’t released into the atmosphere. As a comparison, the total emissions of all countries in 2012 reached 46 billion tons.”

The President of Brazil Dilma Rousseff noted, “There is a sense of urgency and we need to show leadership. Our action will be useful if it is collective. The best way to find solutions is to come together to reach a fair, ambitious and lasting agreement.”

China’s Xi Jinping highlighted that the country is currently at the forefront in terms of energy conservation and the use of renewable energy, and pledged to continue their efforts, in particular with regard to cooperation between nations of the South.

The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, who also took to the podium on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, stressed that industrialized nations “which have the greatest historical responsibility, must honor their existing commitments and continue to take the lead to address climate change.”

During his speech, Evo Morales, President of Bolivia, warned, “If we continue on the path set by capitalism, we are doomed to disappear.”

According to Prensa Latina, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa assured that the primary response to combat this phenomenon must be environmental justice, and proposed the creation of an international court to this end.

According to Reuters, the warnings from climate scientists, demands of activists and leaders such as Pope Francis, coupled with breakthroughs in alternative energy sources, have added pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for global warming.

The Conference brings together delegations from some 195 countries at the Le Bourget Exhibition Center, north of the French capital, which will host the UN event through December 11.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992. It entered into effect on March 21, 1994 and has been ratified by 196 signatories (195 states and the European Union), which constitute the interested parties.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme body of the Convention, and meets annually in global conferences to reach agreements to combat climate change.

(Diario Granma)

For years the target for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been to stabilize the atmospheric concentration of these at a maximum level of 450 parts per million (ppm). That goal requires cutting GHG emissions by 80 percent by 2050, which would ensure that the change in global temperature does not exceed 2 degrees Celsius.

As things stand today, achieving this goal of 450 ppm appears very difficult. To do so, the richest countries of the world should already be markedly reducing their emissions and by 2025, which is really just around the corner, the greenhouse gas emissions of all countries, rich and poor, should be falling. The possibility of achieving this goal exists, but is at risk of vanishing.

The twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be held in Paris in just a few weeks time. The basic draft document for the COP21 negotiations has already been released (October 5) and is marked by serious problems. It is a 20-page document from which the fate of humanity literally hangs.

As is known, in the framework of the negotiations ahead of COP21, each country is called to present their independently determined national commitments (now known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs).These commitments beg the following question: Who determines the emission reductions that each country should apply?

Since negotiations on reductions and emission ceilings have been stalled for years (to be exact, since shortly before COP15 six years ago in Copenhagen), it was thought that it would be better to allow each country the absolute freedom to establish its own national goals.

Today we have before us the national commitments that have been voluntarily presented to the UNFCCC secretariat. The result is truly discouraging. Several renowned economists have calculated the sum of all these national targets and found that they correspond to an equivalent of just 44 gigatons of CO2, when what is required is a cut of 55 gigatons by 2050 to keep on track for climate change of just 2 degrees Celsius.

It is to be expected that between now and the beginning of COP21 in the French capital, several countries will amend their national commitments in order to achieve that goal. But the negotiation document has a flaw: it does not contain a mechanism to ensure compliance with these Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

In reality, there is little hope of stabilizing the concentration of greenhouse gases at 450 ppm. To achieve this goal, greenhouse gas emissions can not exceed the maximum level of between 800 and a thousand gigatons of CO2: yet since 1880, 535 gigatons have already been emitted. Meanwhile, 250 gigatons have already been allocated to investments made in infrastructure linked to the fossil fuel industry in all its forms. Companies that have made such investments will wish to recover them and thus will do everything possible to ensure their facilities continue to operate and emit gigatons of CO2. That is, we are stuck on a path toward some really nasty surprises in terms of climate change.

There are also forces within the financial world that tend to keep us trapped on this path. Today the top 200 businesses related to the fossil fuel industry have a market value of around 4 trillion dollars and a good portion of that amount is based on the value of their reserves. If a strong agreement were achieved at COP21, with a clear commitment to reduce emissions, the value of these reserves would suffer a sharp downward adjustment, perhaps of up to 60 percent.

The connections between the fossil fuel industry and the financial world are very strong and this would bring with it serious consequences. For example, it is estimated that pension funds and individual retirement accounts in the United States have 47 percent of shares in the oil and natural gas companies of the country. Clearly, in the financial sector there is also reluctance to change the energy profile of the global economy.

Only pressure from the peoples of all countries can counteract these forces. Perhaps there is still time, beyond what happens at COP21.
(La Jornada)

This demanding work has never been presented by the prestigious company from Camaguey, whose historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The first performance will be in the City of Light today, and tomorrow the company presents the work at the Palais des Congres in Porte de Maillot.

Flammes de Paris (Flames of Paris) is a Russian ballet in four acts with music by Boris Assafiev and it was conceived in 1932. However, it has evolved considerably, the last adaptation being the modern version created in 2008 by the Bolshoi of Moscow.

Still, it is a little-known ballet that pays homage to the French Revolution of 1789, and is performed by the Cuban ballet company with a version of the choreographer Lila de la Torre. The challenge seems huge as they perform to the 3,700 patrons in the Congress Palace.

Carmen Mayans, the producer in France of the Camaguey group presentations, told Prensa Latina that it is a colossal effort to promote a work performed by talents of Cuban and Russian dance.

After two presentations in Paris, the Ballet of Camaguey will perform in the Zenith of Toulouse, Opera de Massy, Le Dome de Marseille, Zenith de Saint Etienne, and stages of Lyon, Niza, Bordeaux and Annecy, among other cities.

Another notable Cuban cultural event in France will take place before the end of the year with the return of the company of Santiago Alfonso and Varietés Havana Tropical, which enjoyed great success in Europe last year.

(Prensa Latina)