On July 1, U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, stated in Vienna that the agreement reached to reestablish diplomatic relations and open embassies in Havana and Washington has opened a new chapter in relations between his country and Cuba.
Kerry, in the Austrian capital to attend nuclear talks with Iran, attributed the transition and historic moment to the decision made by President Barack Obama “to change a policy that didn’t work and that had been in place not working for far too long.”
The U.S. official added that this change is the result of Obama’s leadership and recognized that the Cuban President Raúl Castro, acted in a similar manner.
“Both leaders agree that concentrating on the issues and possibilities of the future is far more productive than remaining mired in the past,” highlighted Kerry.
“As we look at the world today with conflicts that we see and even these negotiations taking place here in Vienna, it is important for people to understand that things can change, that leadership can be effective and can make a difference.
“We, frankly, also believe that this opening will help to change relationships in the region as a whole,” he continued, noting that the step will advance the President’s vision in regards Latin America.
Kerry thanked Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson, and her negotiating team, as well as the White House personnel, who worked to advance discussions with their Cuban counterparts in order to enable the normalization of diplomatic relations and the reopening of embassies.
He also expressed thanks to the Government of Switzerland “for the essential role that they have played in serving as the United States protecting power in Cuba for more than 50 years.”
Finally, Kerry, stated that he is looking forward to meeting again with his Cuban counterpart, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez. ”I look forward to taking part in the reopening of our United States embassy” and “greeting our embassy personnel and the Cuban people in Havana,” in “the beginning of a new era of a new relationship with the people of Cuba,” he concluded.
