“We are talking about forging a new kind of relationship between both states, different from our entire common history”, Castro, 84, told the Cuban National Assembly, according to official media.
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“It’s an historic moment that we’re experiencing now”, said the German minister, who also emphasized the “process of transformation” begun by Cuba and which, in his judgment, is going “in the right direction”.
HAVANA, JUL 17 – Cuba remains unconvinced the United States has stopped trying to remove the Communist Party from power despite a public pledge from President Barack Obama disowning “regime change”, a Cuban foreign ministry official said on Thursday.
Cuba and the United States will re-establish diplomatic relations on Monday after a 54-year break and reopen embassies in each other’s capitals.
Since taking over as president for his ailing brother in 2008, Raul Castro, the longtime defense minister, has proven less bellicose toward America than his brother, now 88 and retired.
Machin cited multimillion-dollar annual budgets for what are commonly called the Cuban democracy programs, which Cuba sees as hostile efforts to undermine its government and socialist political system.
Rodriguez, the first Cuban foreign minister to visit Washington since around the time of the Cuban Revolution, will have a substantive discussion with Kerry instead of “just a passing handshake”, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
Machin said Rodriguez will deliver an opening speech and later hold talks with his USA counterpart, John Kerry, at the headquarters of the U.S. State Department.
A trio of Cuban-American lawmakers will hold a news conference Monday in Miami to denounce the embassy reopening.
The United States broke off diplomatic relations in 1961 and imposed a tough trade embargo that Cuba blames for many of its economic problems.
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Diplomatic relations will be restored on Monday when the so-called interests sections in Washington and Havana will be upgraded to embassies.
