A year after announcing the process of restoration of diplomatic relations between The United States of America and Cuba, the two governments came to an agreement on Thursday to restore commercial flights between the two countries.
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In a statement yesterday, US President Barak Obama, touted the steps the US has taken to normalise relations with Cuba in the past year and called on Congress to lift its embargo.
“There are very few things that, under the law, the president definitely can’t change”, Vidal said, calling on Obama to allow the Cuban government to use dollars in worldwide transaction and export goods to the USA, among other measures. While the majority of USA travelers are Cuban-Americans, there has been a sharp rise in Americans traveling for specially authorized purposes, particularly on educational tours known as people-to-people travel.
For the first time in more than half a century, the United States and Cuba are poised to resume commercial airline service between the two countiries. The new agreement is expected to increase travel between the two countries: there are already some charter flights run by American carriers traveling between the two countries but concrete exchange has been limited thus far. Castro also reiterated Cuba’s commitment to socialism and bemoaned U.S. programs aimed at undermining the Cuban government, such as support for dissidents.
The move is the latest by the Obama administration to normalize relations with Cuba after decades of hostilities.
He was the top US diplomat in Cuba for three years, “Everything from my perspective has either been the same or gotten worse”.
The United States and Cuba reached a deal on restoring regularly scheduled commercial flights.
Flights to Cuba could begin within months.
Since last year’s detente, the countries have restored diplomatic ties and reopened their embassies.
Obama told Yahoo News in an interview about the December 17 anniversary that he hopes to visit Cuba in 2016 but only if enough progress has been made in bilateral relations, he is able to meet with political dissidents, and if he can possibly “nudge the Cuban government in a new direction”.
Other airlines – American Airlines Group Inc, Delta Air Lines Inc and United Continental Holdings Inc – have expressed interest in scheduling flights to Cuba.
In a statement, the State Department said the agreement was reached on Wednesday in Washington after talks headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Transportation Affairs, Thomas Engle, on the U.S. side, and Ambassador Yuri Gala Lopez for the Cubans.
“I like. It’s the best”, said Cesar Cowley who just returned from visiting family in Cuba.
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JetBlue will offer more nonstop flights to Cuba from New York, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.
