Since the Communist revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959, the United States' relationship with the Caribbean island have been strained. The U.S. imposed a trade embargo and prevented many other nations and companies from trading with Cuba; however, in the last couple of years, France has begun to slowly build an economic relationship with the island nation and its foreign minister arrived in the capital this weekend to continue this endeavor.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius met with Cuban President Raul Castro on Saturday, according to Reuters. After more than 30 years, a French diplomat is meeting with a Cuban president, accelerating Europe's move to open up trade with the nation. After a long conversation about politics, human rights and economic reforms, Fabius seemed optimistic at the end of the one-day talks.

"We want to push forward our relations in the areas of culture, education, economics and politics," Fabius said to reporters. "Of course, we have different points of view on certain issues, which doesn't stop us from exchanging perspectives and moving forward."

Since he joined President Hollande's cabinet in 2012, Fabius has tried to expand France's economic presence in places where it is weak, including Latin America. According to Reuters, he began in Cuba because local influential players like Brazil and Mexico have already begun deals with Cuba. The European Union lifted sanctions in 2008 and sent Fabius to test the waters.

Over 60 French firms already do business in Cuba and bilateral trade in 2013 amounted to $388 million. Talks between the EU and Cuba will begin on April 29. However, for the talks to succeed, both sides will have to sign a deal that will be agreeable to all EU members. Poland and the Czech Republic, former Communist states, reportedly are more wary of Cuba. But, they are not the only ones.

Before Fabius embarked on his trip, the organization Reporters Without Borders, a group that advocates for freedom of information and the press as well as monitors media rights around the world, released a public letter addressed to him that asked him to take into consideration Cuba's human rights record, specially in regards to journalism.

"All independent media, both traditional and online, are censored in Cuba, which is ranked 170th out of 180 countries in our 2014 press freedom index. Even defending the right to information is obstructed by President Raúl Castro's government, which refuses to recognize NGOs, automatically treating them as accomplices to US hegemony," reads the statement.

In the statement, the organization cites Cuba's various violations against freedom of speech and press as well as specific actions against specific journalists and bloggers like Roberto de Jesus Guerra. Guerra was detained after returning from a trip to Mexico and had many documents and books confiscated. His family was also harassed in the following days. Other journalists have been detained and imprisoned.

"Your forthcoming meeting with your Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, cannot avoid the major challenges posed by the defence of freedom of information. The abusive treatment of journalists and netizens has been at the heart of the European Union's concerns since 2003 and must legitimately be raised during your talks," adds the statement.

"France plays a leading role internationally, especially in the United Nations, as regards the issue of the safety of journalists. The renewal of bilateral ties between France and Cuba should not be at the expense