Cuba and Brittany to strengthen bilateral cooperation

Cuban Ambassador to France Otto Vaillant on Sunday met with authorities of the Breton Department of Côtes d'Armor to discuss closer collaboration in different areas including health, water and sanitation.

Having been invited to attend the annual gala of the local committee of the Cuba Coopération France (CubaCoop) Association, Vaillant and the Cuban embassy’s Economic and Commercial Counselor, Danae de Paz, carried out a long agenda in Brittany.

There, both were welcomed by the Presidents of the agglomerations of Saint-Brieuc Armor Ronan Kerdraon, Guingamp-Paimpol and Vincent Le Meaux.

During the meetings, they continued discussing what was previously debated during their visit to Côtes d’Armor a month ago when local authorities showed interest in counting on the Cuban health assistance to make up for the shortage of health professionals in different areas including emergencies and maternity. At that time, both sides also discussed the possibility of strengthening bilateral relations in other important sectors with Cuba which has been battered by an economic, commercial and financial U.S. blockade imposed for over 60 years.

Vaillant told Prensa Latina the meetings held allow to strengthen CubaCoop’s work in the department, from which it has been organizing shipment of a dozen solidarity containers loaded with medical material and other basic necessities.

Saint-Brieuc Armor and Guingamp-Paimpol have 32 and 57 communes, respectively, and host about half of over 500,000 inhabitants of Côtes d’Armor.

The Cuban ambassador expressed his gratitude for the solidarity with his country on Breton soil and also praised potential of cooperation.

In statements to local press, Vaillant detailed the Cuban reality and the impact caused on the population by the U.S. blockade, a tightened policy with an extraterritorial scope that attacks companies, banks and European citizens.