France and Guatemala

Political relations

President Jimmy Morales made a visit to France from 8 to 11 June 2017, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Relations, the Minister of Finance, and the Minister of the Economy. He was received by the President of the Republic, the Minsters of the Economy and the Interior, the President of the Senate, and the Mayor of Paris.

The President of the Republic’s personal envoy for Latin America and the Caribbean, Mr Jean-Pierre Bel, made a visit to Guatemala from 6 to 8 April 2016, during which he was received by the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Carlos Raúl Morales. In March 2020, a delegation from the France-Latin America interparliamentary friendship group travelled to Guatemala.

French presence

French community in Guatemala: 989 French nationals registered, 42% of whom are binationals.
Guatemalan community in France: 1,088 people registered.

Visits

• Mr Christian Rapha, Mayor of Saint-Pierre (Martinique), travelled to Guatemala in December 2021 to sign a twinning agreement between the municipalities of Antigua-Guatemala and Saint-Pierre in Martinique.
• Visit by President Jimmy Morales to France, from 8 to 11 June 2017.
• Visit by Mr Jean-Pierre Bel to Guatemala from 6 to 8 April 2016, during which he was received by the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Carlos Raúl Morales.
• Visits by the Guatemalan Ministers of the Economy and of Foreign Affairs to Paris, in September and November 2013.
• Visit by the Minister Delegate for French Nationals Abroad from 16 to 20 May 2013.
• Several visits by the Ambassador for Human Rights to Guatemala in April 2013.

Ambassadors

French Ambassador to the Republic of Guatemala: Ms Odile Roussel
Twitter account: @FranciaenGuate

Economic relations

While our trade surplus with Guatemala reached between €10 million and €40 million a year in recent years (peaking at €78 million in 2014), in 2020 we had a trade deficit of €10 million, according to French customs. Our main exports to Guatemala include pharmaceuticals, perfumes and cosmetics, with dairy products growing in importance. Our Guatemalan imports are agricultural and agrifood products.

About 20 French companies are established in Guatemala, as commercial subsidiaries particularly in consumer goods, telecommunications, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals and services. The French-British company Perenco is the leading French investor in Guatemala and the country’s largest oil operator.

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

The cooperation budget is regionalized and projects are implemented from the regional SCAC, based in Costa Rica. French cooperation efforts are implemented through the network of Alliance Française branches in Guatemala City, Quetzaltenango and Antigua, as well as the French Lycée Jules Verne, which has more than 950 students. France was the guest of honour at the Guatemala City International Book Fair in 2018.

The regional office of the Centre for Mexican and Central American Studies (CEMCA) ensures coordination with the scientific and academic communities, in the fields of social sciences and archaeology, the latter being a key element of our cooperation.

Other cooperation

Guatemala maintains decentralized cooperation with Martinique, with a twinning agreement between Antigua-Guatemala and Saint-Pierre de la Martinique.

^{Updated: August 2022}