Cuba’s foreign minister presided over the flag-raising ceremony Monday, hours after full diplomatic relations with the United States were restored at midnight.
In the meantime, the department on Monday added a Cuban flag in a hall inside its Washington headquarters along with flags from every country that has diplomatic relations with the US.
In a statement on the Cuban Foreign Ministry website, the Cuban government said the re-establishment of diplomatic ties and opening of embassies “completes the first stage of what will be a long and complex process toward the normalization of bilateral relations”.
The opening ceremony for the US embassy in Cuba will be delayed until Kerry can travel to Havana and raise the US flag, but the embassy will be fully functional in the meantime.
“Of course, this milestone does not signify an end to differences that still separate our governments”, Kerry said, switching between Spanish and English.
Many points of friction still remain.
Among them disputes over mutual claims for economic reparations, Cuba’s insistence on the end of the 53-year-old trade embargo and U.S. calls for Cuba to improve on human rights and democracy.
“Totally lifting the blockade, the return of the illegally occupied territory of Guantanamo, as well as the full respect for Cuban sovereignty and the compensation to our people for human and economic damages, are crucial to be able to move towards the normalisation of relations”, Mr Rodriguez said.
About the Guantanamo base, Kerry said that the U.S had “no intent” to change the terms of the lease agreement executed in 1903 by the two countries.
In a joint press conference with Rodriguez and Secretary of State John Kerry, both diplomats cautioned there is still a lot of work to be done. Today, with the opening of our embassies and the visit of the foreign minister, we are taking an historic and long overdue step in the right direction. “None of these people here who supposedly represent the Cuban government were elected by the people”. A pair of officers stood on each corner around the building, smiling and wishing “buenos dias” to passers-by.
The US and Cuba each now have a full-fledged embassy in the other’s country.
A Cuban delegation of diplomats, artists and veterans of the revolution were to commemorate the breakthrough with about 500 guests and more than likely down a few celebratory mojitos and shots of Havana Club rum.
The historic turnaround between two bitter adversaries has come at breakneck speed after Obama and Raul Castro in December agreed to normalize ties, as Washington acknowledged that its policy of trying to effect change by isolating Cuba had failed. In Havana, the U.S. Interests Section uploaded a new profile pictures to its Facebook and Twitter accounts that said US EMBASSY HAVANA.
Members of Congress, both for and against rapprochement with Cuba, were quick to react. Patrick Leahy, D-VT, a supporter. “The rules to which you can travel to Cuba have been eased and people are a lot more comfortable going to Cuba especially when whey they hear good reports from their friends and colleagues when they’re there”, said Reno.
Obama’s efforts at engagement were frustrated for years by Cuba’s imprisonment of U.S. Agency for global Development contractor Alan Gross on espionage charges.
The United States cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 after Fidel Castro took power in a coup in 1959.
He said the USA was hasty in removing Cuba from its State Sponsors of Terrorism list and said the USA should have sought more concessions from Cuba on human rights issues before moving to re-establish ties.
This started the conflict between two counties, strain Cuba-US relations.
Amid those celebrating, a slight man in a crisp white shirt held a sign that said “Freedom for political prisoners”.
