The Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, Jean-Noël Barrot, received this Thursday his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who is on a tour of several European countries, to address the economic and social situation on the island and the prospects for stabilization.
During the meeting, both ministers also discussed the situation of human rights and the progress of economic reforms in Cuba, as well as bilateral relations, as reported in a statement by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cited by EFE.
#Cuba | @jnbarrot hosted his Cuban counterpart, @BrunoRguezPwho is currently visiting several European countries.
➡️ https://t.co/nv7wPvs0PH pic.twitter.com/g6VZA0pLqi
— France Diplomacy (@francediplo_EN) February 20, 2026
The head of French diplomacy reiterated France’s attachment to fundamental freedoms and stressed that progress in this area constitutes a factor of confidence that would contribute to lasting stability, according to the note.
For his part, Rodríguez stated from his account in
“We exchanged about the complicated and tense international context, marked by the threat and use of force, in violation of International Law and the UN Charter, which endangers peaceful coexistence between nations and multilateralism.”
In addition, he added that they “specifically” addressed the escalation of US threats against Cuba, including “the reinforcement of measures aimed at depriving us of fuel supplies, with an impact on the fundamental rights of the Cuban people, and I highlighted our determination to overcome them.”
Meeting at UNESCO
In Paris, Rodríguez Parrilla also met this Friday with the Secretary General of UNESCO, Khaled al Anani, to whom he reaffirmed his willingness to continue strengthening ties with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In addition, he thanked “Unesco’s support for national efforts on the various fronts of the organization’s mandate, in particular, in the identification of resources and the mobilization of funds to confront the impact of the US blockade,” according to what he said in a message on social networks.
Before stopping in France, the Cuban Foreign Minister visited Moscow, where he met with senior government officials, including President Vladimir Putin.
Previously he was in Spain where he held a meeting with his counterpart, José Manuel Albares.
