Cuba and France announce railway agreement before Chancellor's visit to the island

Cuba and France announced Wednesday railway development agreement for 40 million euros, three days after the arrival on the island of French Chancellor Jean-Yves Le Drian.

The "collaborative project between the Union of Cuban Railways (UFC) and the National Railways Company Franceses (SNCF) will allow the modernization of the workshops of Luyanó (in Havana) and Camagüey" ( is), reported the official Granma newspaper.

Its purpose is "to put in service the diesel locomotives, to recover the wagons intended for the transport of pbadengers".

Of the 40 million euros, "30 come from a credit approved the previous month by the French Agency In October 2016, the two countries created a fund of 231 million euros. euros, following the restructuring and cancellation of a large part of the Cuban debt with France France, through which this portion of the debt will be converted into investments.

" A significant portion of the funding will be dedicated to upgrading facilities and upgrading rolling stock. of management work by the UFC, "said Granma Dominique Vastel, chief executive of SNCF International.

The announcement was published the day before the arrival on Saturday from Le Drian to Cuba, from Colombia, during the first official visit of a European Chancellor following the promotion of Miguel Díaz-Canel to the presidency of the island in April.

This visit "we will continue the dynamic of "The strengthening of political dialogue and economic, cultural, academic and scientific relations between our two countries," said Thursday the French Minister of Foreign Affairs

during his meeting with the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez and the Minister for Foreign Trade. and foreign investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, both ratified Saturday in their positions for five more years by President Diaz-Canel.

The Drian, who will be in Cuba until Sunday, will be the first senior official of the current French administration who visits the island, since Emmanuel Macron took the presidency in May 2017.