PANAMA.— Sources from the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Cuba confirmed that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Cuban Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla met in the Panamanian capital before the start of the 7th Summit of the Americas.
The U.S. Department of State posted a photo depicting both diplomats shaking hands on its official Twitter account.
The meeting between Kerry and Rodríguez Parrilla is the highest level diplomatic encounter held between Cuba and the U.S. in over half a century.
Havana and Washington have been advancing in the process of reestablishing diplomatic relations since December 17, when Presidents Raúl Castro and Barack Obama announced their intention to open a new chapter in the tumultuous history which unites both countries.
However, obstacles to this process still remain, such as the unjustifiable inclusion of Cuba on the list of state sponsors of international terrorism and the lack of banking services to the country’s diplomatic mission in Washington.
The U.S. Department of State recently recommended that Cuba be removed from the list; however Obama has not announced his decision to Congress, which has 45 days to express an opinion but does not have the power to reverse it.
To date, two rounds of conversations to implement the reestablishment of diplomatic ties have taken place, one in Havana and the other in Washington, in addition to other bilateral meetings regarding specific issues.
