The meeting between US and Cuban officials on security issues, which took place in Havana on January 18 and 19, “does not affect the focus” of President Joe Biden’s government on “human rights issues” on the island, stressed the statement issued this Thursday by Washington.
“Better coordination of law enforcement forces is beneficial for the United States and for the Cuban people,” the text says.
The rapprochement between US and Cuban officials was criticized by Republican lawmakers. In a letter, Florida State Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio noted that dialogue with “authoritarian regimes (…) negatively affects the well-being” of Cuban citizens.
Washington stresses that the purpose of these talks was to “fight crime” through cooperation, something that it considers “beneficial for the United States and for the Cuban people.”
The letter, addressed to the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken; the country’s attorney general, Merrick Garland, and the secretary of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, asked that the dialogue promote “the political and economic freedoms of the Cuban people instead of granting concessions to the Cuban regime.”
Washington stresses that the purpose of these talks was to “fight crime” based on cooperation on issues such as drug trafficking and human trafficking, among others, something that it considers “beneficial for the United States and for the Cuban people.”
US officials evaded answering a question from the British news agency Reuters about whether Cuba’s removal from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism was included in the talks, one of the issues that most worries those most critical of the thaw.
The measure – which also affects North Korea, Syria, Iran – prevents Cuba from accessing international loans and selling or exporting weapons, in addition to some other implications for foreigners, such as entering the US without a visa if the traveler’s passport displays an entry stamp in Cuba.
“After careful review of all available information and intelligence, the Secretary of State limits himself to maintaining or removing Department designations after concluding that a country meets the criteria under the law,” the Department spokesperson replied. of State, Vedant Patel.
Asked if the US is considering removing the island from the list, the spokesman said he “had no policy changes to announce” and insisted that the Havana talks were specifically related to security.
For their part, the island’s authorities appreciate the “climate of respect” and “high professional level” in which the talks took place, according to a note from the Ministry of the Interior published by the official press.
The exchange, in the words of the Cuban side, dealt with “terrorism, smuggling of migrants and immigration fraud, among others” and “the two delegations agreed that there are common phenomena associated with illegality that require mutual cooperation.”
The island’s authorities value the “climate of respect” and “high professional level” in which the talks took place, according to a note from the Ministry of the Interior published by the official press.
In addition, the statement stresses that there is “an agreement to continue this dialogue and hold other technical meetings between the law enforcement and enforcement agencies of both countries to materialize their links.”
The Cuban side referred to “the information and proposals for collaboration transferred to the US representatives on the activities of people living in the United States and identified for their links to terrorism, illegal human trafficking and other illegal activities.” However, it has not been mentioned that Washington claimed, for its part, the fugitives welcomed by Cuba.
In the meeting, the first of its kind held since the talks on national security came to a halt under the mandate of Donald Trump, Cuba was represented by authorities from the Ministries of the Interior and Foreign Relations, as well as the Attorney General’s Office and the General Customs of the Republic.
For its part, the US sent a delegation from the State Department, the Department of Justice and Homeland Security, FBI and immigration officials, and the Coast Guard.
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