HAVANA: Cuba on Tuesday (Dec 17) reprised its willingness to enter into a dialogue with Donald Trump when he returns as US president in January, despite his reinstatement of restrictions during his first term.
“Cuba will not be the one to suggest or take the initiative to suspend existing dialogue or cooperation, not even discreet exchanges on sensitive issues,” Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said on the tenth anniversary of the rapprochement coordinated by ex-presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro.
On Dec 17, 2014, Obama and Castro announced the beginning of a process that led to the restoration of diplomatic relations in 2015, after more than half a century of confrontation between Washington and the communist-run island.
The process culminated with Obama, his wife Michelle and their two daughters visiting Havana in March 2016.
Trump reversed Obama’s Cuba policies and toughened a US embargo in place since 1962.
Besides placing restrictions on sending remittances to family in Cuba, he banned most individual visits to Cuba and put the island back on a list of states that sponsor terrorism.
Current President Joe Biden kept Cuba on that list but resumed discussions with Havana on the fight against terrorism and illegal migration.
Cuba has suffered an unprecedented emigration wave since 2022, driven by a deep economic crisis which has led to three nationwide blackouts in two months and shortages of food and fuel.
