MIAMI, United States. – This Wednesday, Cuban and US officials met in Washington DC to discuss the implementation of the Migration Agreements between the two countries, in the first meeting scheduled for 2023.
In accordance with a note of the Ministry of Relations (MINREX) of Cuba, “the Cuban delegation reiterated the importance of reestablishing the processing of non-immigrant visas at the US Embassy in Havana.”
In addition, “he emphasized that, after six years, the obligation to travel to a third country to obtain a visa is inexplicable for the Cuban citizen, when there is an Embassy and a Consulate in Cuba and the falsehood of the causes that were alleged for close such services in Cuba”.
During the meeting, officials of the Cuban regime also complained about the granting of political asylum to the Cuban citizen. Ruben Martinez Machadothe pilot who landed in Florida driving an AN-2 plane, on October 21, 2022.
According to the Cuban regime, “impunity for actions of this nature encourages illegal acts with dangerous and negative consequences for air safety and the national security of both countries.”
For its part, the Embassy of the United States highlighted in a statement that the bilateral dialogues “reflect the commitment of both countries to regularly review the implementation of the Agreements.”
“The US delegation highlighted the areas of successful cooperation on migration, while identifying the issues that have been obstacles to meeting the objectives of the Agreements,” also indicates the note from the US side.
The Cuban delegation was headed by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernández de Cossío, while the US side was headed by the Assistant Undersecretary for the Western Hemisphere of the Department of Homeland Security, David Cloe.
From April 2022Cuba and the United States have held biannual meetings to discuss migration issues. On that date, officials from both countries met in Washington D.C.for the first time since 2018, to discuss the implementation of the Migration Agreements between the northern nation and the Island.
Then, in November 2022, officials from both countries met in Havana for the same purpose. However, on that occasion transcended that the US delegation had advocated for the release of all political prisoners on the island.
A State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the agency Associated Press (AP) that the delegation from Washington referred to its concerns about human rights in Cuba.
The source stated that, at the meeting, Rena Bitter, US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, “urged the Cuban government to unconditionally release all political prisoners.”
