Cuba-US Relations Update

Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Director General of the United States Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Director General of the United States Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Imperialist resolve to punish and starve independent socialist states has continued to weaken in the face of Cuban perseverance against the US embargo.

Last week saw further talks between Cuba and the United States in which the US further retreated from it’s position of 54 years of illegal and unwarranted attacks upon the peaceful island nation.

Revolutionary Cuba has seen massive agrarian reforms and the nationalisation of industries, including former property of US capitalists, which led to the US not only cutting off diplomatic relations, but also imposing commercial, financial, economic war. Most famous are the notorious military and covert assaults (Bay of Pigs invasion, shooting down civilian Cuban airliners, assassinations, biological warfare, and incessant attacks on the revolutionary leadship of the Cuban people, including Fidel Castro.

The scale of the US climb-down must be viewed against this backdrop. Below we produce a statement passed to us by the revolutionary Cuban government.

The third round of talks Between Delegations of Cuba and the United States on the process of re-establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of embassies was held in Washington DC, on May 21 and 22, 2015.

The Cuban delegation was headed by Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Director General of the United States Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and the US delegation was headed by Roberta S. Jacobson, Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the State Department.

The Cuban representatives recognized the decision just adopted by President Obama to remove Cuba from the List of States Sponsors of Terrorism.

These were talks held after the US government, in compliance with its international legal obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, issued a license to one bank to resume the banking services to the Cuban Interests Section in Washington under the conditions of the financial blockade in force.

Both delegations agreed to continue the exchanges on aspects related to the Functioning of the diplomatic missions.

During the talks, the Cuban delegation ratified its substantial willingness to address matters of the bilateral agenda, which would make it possible to move on to the normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States on the basis of respect, sovereign equality and reciprocity, eleven diplomatic relations are re-established.” 

– Cuban Embassy (with minor translation)