Britain, Cuba talk trade, tourism ties in historic meeting

PanARMENIAN.Net - Britain's foreign secretary met Cuban officials on the first such visit to the island since 1959, for talks on boosting trade and tourism ties with the communist state, AFP reports.

Philip Hammond's trip comes a month after U.S. President Barack Obama's historic visit to the Caribbean nation, which is opening up to warmer ties with its old Cold War rivals.

Hammond told reporters in Havana that he was "the first UK foreign secretary to visit Cuba since the revolution" that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959.

His visit also follows meetings in recent months between Cuba's President Raul Castro and other top officials and leaders from the European Union.

Hammond met with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez and signed several cooperation agreements with other communist government officials.

They covered areas such as financial services, energy, culture and education, he said.

Hammond said he wanted "enhanced bilateral cooperation underpinned by increased trade, increased investment and more tourists coming to Cuba" from Britain.

Britain was the second-biggest source of foreign tourists to Cuba last year after Canada, with 160,000 Britons making the trip, he said.

His ministry said earlier that he would sign a "bilateral agreement restructuring Cuba's debt to the UK," but Hammond did not comment about that during his news conference later in Havana.

He also met with representatives from Cuban civil society and the British business community in Havana, the Foreign Office said.