US Cuba diplomatic relations experienced a long awaited breakthrough on Wednesday after the leaders of both nations announced that they have decided to restore normal ties.
As part of the agreement, the US government would establish an embassy in Havana and increase its cooperation with the Cuban government. US authorities would also loosen travel restrictions as well as limitations on remittances and improve banking ties.
Several top officials who spoke to the press echoed the words of President Barack Obama, who noted that the previous isolation policy against Cuba has been unsuccessful.
US Cuba diplomatic relations hit a standstill after the Cuban Revolution deposed the US-backed leader of the country Fulgencio Batista in the late fifties. There had been many calls for the US Cuba diplomatic relations to be normalized as the effects of the economic blockade on the small island nation grew severe. But the Cuban government, whom the US had accused of sponsoring terrorism, remained defiant to the big power.
The restoration of US Cuba diplomatic relations, which was reportedly supported by Pope Francis and Canada, involved over a year of secret negotiations - including phone calls between President Obama and President Raul Castro. Reports indicate that both leaders spoke for about 45 minutes on Tuesday.
The announcement of the restoration of US Cuba diplomatic relations comes with a prisoner exchange between both countries. On Wednesday, the Cuban government released an American national who was arrested and sentenced in the country in 2009 for subversive actions. The US also set free two Cuban secret agents, who have been imprisoned in the US for over two decades. The Cuban government is expected to also release more than fifty Cuban political prisoners.
For now the trade embargo on Cuba still remains in place. US authorities have spoken of engaging directly with the Cuban government on human rights. Some pundits say Washington may be looking to force the hand of the Cuban government into making democratic reforms as a precondition for restoring normal economic relations.
The news of the restoration of US Cuba diplomatic relations has been welcomed by many Cuban expatriates in the US. The Cold War era conflict between both nations had severely limited the ability of Cuban nationals to move and send things to relatives in their home country.
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