Relationship dossier
Cuba
France
Relationship assessment
Active diplomatic engagement and cooperation, alongside limits in the known scope of bilateral ties
Cuba toward France
+35Cuba received French President François Hollande in 2015 and sent President Raúl Castro on a state visit to France in 2016. These high-level exchanges included bilateral agreements and advanced cooperation between the governments.
France toward Cuba
+35France hosted Cuban President Raúl Castro on a state visit in 2016 and has supported the EU’s Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement with Cuba, which provides a framework for structured engagement. French-Cuban agreements and exchanges have also supported bilateral cooperation.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship has a durable diplomatic foundation reinforced by reciprocal presidential visits, bilateral cooperation agreements, and Cuba’s framework for dialogue and cooperation with the EU, which France has supported. These features indicate substantive engagement, although the scope and implementation of cooperation are not fully clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cuba and France have maintained active diplomatic engagement, including reciprocal presidential-level visits and agreements on cooperation. France has supported the EU’s structured dialogue and cooperation with Cuba, while bilateral engagement has included economic and cultural ties. The relationship is cooperative, though its breadth and implementation across sectors are not fully clear.
Key developments
French President François Hollande visited Cuba, where the governments advanced bilateral cooperation and signed agreements.
The EU and Cuba signed the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, providing a framework for structured engagement supported by France.
Cuban President Raúl Castro made a state visit to France, deepening high-level bilateral engagement.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements are unclear.
- The extent of continuing economic and cultural cooperation is uncertain.