Secretary of State John Kerry’s raising of the American flag at the U.S. Embassy in Havana Friday marked an historic moment in U.S.-Cuba relations.

“We will continue to urge the Cuban government to fulfill its obligations under United Nations and Inter-American human rights covenants”, Kerry said, his words accurately translated into Spanish and broadcast live on Cuban state television.

“The more U.S.travel to Cuba, the better”, he said.

Secretary of State John Kerry departed Cuba Friday after a historic daylong visit to raise the US flag at the American embassy – a milestone in Washington’s rapprochement with its onetime foe.

After President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced the normalizing of relations in December, negotiations led to the U.S. Interests Section switching back to its embassy designation.

The U.S. tried several times to hold discussions with Cuban officials about the details of Obama’s loosening of U.S. regulations, but those meetings never happened amid the pressure to strike a deal allowing the reopening of embassies in Havana and Washington on July 20.

Obama has called for an end to the embargo, but faces an uphill battle as he needs approval from Congress, where both houses are now controlled by his Republican opponents – many of them deeply hostile to communist Cuba.

Cuba says the embargo — which it calls a blockade — is hugely damaging to its economy.

“There will be hiccups along the way but it’s a start”, he told reporters travelling with him on the whirlwind one-day trip.

“Secretary Kerry’s visit is especially insulting for Cuba’s dissidents”, said Jeb Bush, a Republican candidate for next year’s U.S. presidential election.

James Tracy, Mike and Larry Morris East, the three Marines who had lowered the flag on January 4, 1961, were in charge of delivering the standard to other three young marines who raised the Stars and Stripes on this special occasion, reported Xinhua.

The United States has reopened its embassy in Cuba more than 54 years after it was closed, in a symbolic step signalling the warming of ties between both countries.

Kerry also met with Cuban civil society leaders, including a selection of political dissidents.

Cuba reopened its embassy in Washington last month. He is also a former governor of Florida, home to the biggest Cuban emigre population.

“There are things that have to change, as is the bloqueo (embargo) and the Guantanamo base – they are things that really affect us”, said Corcho, then adding, “but there will come a day that that will be solved”.

And in Cuba, dissidents have expressed concern that closer ties between the governments will leave them out in the cold. After leading the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Fidel Castro drew Cuba into alliance with the Soviet Union, leading to decades of confrontation with the United States.

“There is no way Congress will lift the embargo if we are not making progress on issues of conscience”, he said.