By Baron Henri Estramant.
Havana, Friday, 14 August 2015: Cuba and the USA have resumed diplomatic relations after a 54 years hiatus. Relations had been broken on 3 January 1961 during Eisenhower’s presidency.
Normal relations were agreed upon by US President Obama and Cuba’s President Raúl Castro in July 2015. The opening of the US American Embassy by US Secretary of State, John Kerry, took place alongside eight congressional lawmakers active in re-establishing relations. Remarkably the same three Marines who lowered the US flag at the embassy premises back in 1961 presented another flag, which was subsequently raised by the Marines assigned to the post. Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis is incumbent chargé d’affaires a.i. till a head of mission is appointed by President Obama, and approved by Congress.
The embassy building until recently had housed the “United States Interests Section in Havana (USINT, Havana)” since 1977, which operated under the aegis of the Swiss Embassy as acting protecting power. Likewise the “Interests Section of the Republic of Cuba” in Washington D.C. were housed at the Swiss Embassy, albeit both worked fully independently in all matters but protocol.
The Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. has also been reopened. It is located on 2630, 16th Street Northwest. Chargé d’affaires a.i. is Ambassador Dr. José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez.
President Barack Obama has already eased some travel and business restrictions to the island state, however, only Congress can lift the 53-years old embargo, which is currently unlikely to happen with Republicans controlling both chambers through the end of his term.
Cuba is highly represented to the EU by Ambassador Norma Goicochea Estenoz, concurrently head of mission to Belgium and Luxembourg since January 2015.
For more information:
US American embassy in Cuba: http://havana.usembassy.gov
Embassy of Cuba to the USA: www.cubadiplomatica.cu/EN/Home.aspx
