MIAMI, United States. – Cuban ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel recognized last Wednesday “very discreet steps” in advancing cooperation with the United States, especially in the area of migration, reported Cuban state media and international agencies.
“We have taken very discreet steps aimed at directing bilateral cooperation for compliance with migration agreements and also in other priority areas between both countries,” Díaz-Canel said when presenting the report on his mandate before the National Assembly of People’s Power.
However, he did not fail to allude to the United States embargo on the island’s regime, which he defined as “the fundamental and defining characteristic of the bilateral relationship” between the two countries.
He also accused Washington of promoting an “open policy of subversion” and “attempts to destabilize” his government.
In his presentation before Parliament this Wednesday, Díaz-Canel also recognized the US technical aid provided in August during the fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Base and the two million dollars in aid offered for the damage caused by Hurricane Ian, which hit Cuba in September.
“That help was offered without conditions,” he said.
In recent months there have been numerous meetings between Cuban and US officials. The authorities of both countries resumed immigration talks this year, in the midst of an unprecedented exodus of Cubans.
Meanwhile, last May, the United States restarted consular activity in Havana in a restricted and gradual manner, and promised to resume the full processing of immigrant visas at the beginning of 2023.
In mid-November, US and Cuban officials met in Havana to discuss the implementation of the US-Cuba Migration Agreements, confirmed in a statement the State Department of the northern country.
On the US side, the meeting was led by the Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Emily Mendrala; while Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío was present on the Cuban side.
It was about the second session of bilateral discussions on migration in the current year, “reflecting the commitment of both countries to periodically review the implementation of their agreements,” according to the State Department.
A week earlier, a delegation headed by Rena Bitter, US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, visited the Cuban capital as part of the dialogue between the two countries to try to stop the immigration crisis in the Straits of Florida.
A State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the US agency Associated Press (AP) that the Washington delegation also addressed concerns about the human rights in Cuba.
The source stated that, at the meeting, Bitter “urged the Cuban government to unconditionally release all political prisoners.”
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