According to a press release by Minrex, this morning, Cuba’s Interim Minister of Foreign Relations, Marcelino Medina González, received Jeffrey DeLaurentis, head of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana at the Ministry of Foreign Relations headquarters, who presented him with a letter from the U.S. President to Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Ministers, confirming the decision to reestablish diplomatic relations between the two countries and open permanent diplomatic missions in their respective capitals, as of July 20, 2015.
According to the letter, Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez, head of the Cuban Interests Section in Washington was received this morning at the U.S. State department by Interim Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, to whom he presented a setter from Raúl to Obama, confirming Cuba’s decision to reestablish diplomatic relations with the U.S.
U.S. press are reporting that Obama will speak today regarding the change of policy toward Cuba
Since January Cuban and U.S. diplomats have been working toward fulfilling the agreement announced by the respective president on December 17, 2014, on the reestablishment of diplomatic relations severed in 1961.
To date, three rounds of conversations have taken place in both capitals, in addition to other meetings to address specific issues.
According to both Cuban and U.S. authorities, having full diplomatic missions in Havana and Washington is only one step in a much longer and more complex process: the normalization of diplomatic relations.
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