There has been no breakthrough on embassy re-openings at the conclusion of the latest round of talks between Cuba and the United States, according to a statement out Friday from the Cuban Foreign Ministry. The statement added that more “exchanges” are planned between the U.S. and Cuba.
This comes after five months of U.S. negotiations with Cuba, that took place with the hopes of hammering out an agreement that will normalize relations and restore diplomatic ties between the two nations that were formally severed in 1982 when the U.S. put Cuba on the list of State Sponsors of terror.
A senior State Department official told reporters Tuesday that the Obama administration is “optimistic” about the talks, adding “We’ve clearly gotten closer and worked our way to fewer items on the checklist.”
Earlier this week, the deputy director of USA affairs at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Gustavo Machín, told reporters that this round of talks to normalize relations between the U.S. and Cuba could be “the last” since the two nations are close to reaching a consensus on key issues.
Before reopening an embassy in Washington, Cuban President Raúl Castro said that a condition to this move would be the U.S. removing Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of terror.
Last month, President Barack Obama issued a message to Congress, to notify them of his recommendation to remove Cuba off the list and that move is expected to move forward at the end of the month.
In a statement on the President’s decision, Secretary of State John Kerry said that “Circumstances have changed since 1982,” referencing the time when Havana was supporting armed insurgencies in Latin America, during the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.