Diplomats in Washington already see tangible benefits in the new relationship with Cuba. The State Department spokesman said the agreement with the government of Raul Castro offers advantages in national security, business opportunities and foreign policy.
Spokeswoman Jen Psaki: “There are economic benefits for both the United States and the people of Cuba,” she said to a question on the subject, during the usual daily briefing organized by the governmental agency.
The official also spoke on the continental scope of the initiatives taken by President Barack Obama in December 2014 “Beyond our relationship with Cuba and the benefits to our national security interests and the Cuban people, we also think that this will be beneficial to our relations with the region, “said the State Department spokeswoman, referring to the positive reaction of Latin American countries on the normalization of relations between Havana and Washington.
The press conference proceeded in parallel with the second round of negotiations between diplomatic delegations of Cuba and the United States, where representatives of the island put on the table the status of their country as a terrorist nation from Washington.
About the inclusion of Cuba on the list of countries sponsoring terrorism, Jen Psaki reminded that any process for inserting or removing a country that list is a process of which Congress is responsible.
“It has specific steps and requirements. We’re seeing that process in motion. It is not complete, “said the spokeswoman.
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Cuban diplomats in Washington indicated that the removal of Cuba from that list would “create the appropriate context to restore diplomatic relations and open embassies in both capitals.”
The delegation sent to Washington to negotiate the restoration of bilateral relations with the United States negotiated the realization in the coming weeks of technical meetings on civil aviation, human trafficking, immigration fraud prevention, telecommunications and Obama’s initiatives.
In explaining to the press the results of this second round of talks, Josefina Vidal, director general of the US Division in the Cuban Foreign Ministry, explained that they had “a good meeting. We made some progress. ”
His American counterpart was more explicit. “Today we have progressed well, although we know that there are still serious differences between the two governments. I am pleased to say we had the kind of constructive exchange that leads to more favorable relations. This spirit of sharing will also be reflected on the events of the next week, “said Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson.
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