Having taken off from the Andrews Air Force Base in Washington D.C., the Air Force One with Obama and his family touched down in Havana after an nearly three-hour flight.
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Obama’s first stop was a Havana hotel, where he greeted U.S. Embassy staff and their families and noted the momentous nature of his visit.
Welcome signs with images of Obama alongside Castro popped up in colonial Old Havana, where Obama will tour on Sunday afternoon shortly after landing.
President Barack Obama listens as Cuban President Raul Castro speaks during their news conference at the Palace of the Revolution, March 21, 2016, in Havana, Cuba.
The two heads of State held official meetings during the 7th Summit of the Americas in Panama and the United Nations headquarters, in April and September 2015, respectively.
President Barack Obama’s historic trip to Cuba has special significance for many Cuban-American Bay Area residents. He’ll be greeted there by Cardinal Jaime Ortega, who, along with Pope Francis, helped facilitate the detente between the US and Cuba that led to Obama’s historic state visit. “I trust the historical, patriotic roots of the Cuban people”.
Obama’s whirlwind trip is a crowning moment in his and Cuban President Raul Castro’s ambitious effort to restore normal relations between their countries.
Republicans and some human rights activists have criticised Obama for dealing with Castro, given the lack of political, media and economic freedom in a country where the Communist Party retains tight control.
While improved communication and travel have been great for Andreu, she says it is only a small part of improving conditions in Cuba.
Some say that while this visit seems promising, Cuba requires a long period of revitalization before it is, as 17-year-old Juliet Garcia Gonzalez says, “better”.
The number of Americans traveling to Cuba jumped almost 80 percent past year.
“We joke about McDonald’s on every corner – that would be the fear”, said Jennifer Kerpelman, a professor from Alabama, visiting from the US.
“I think this is going to be tremendously helpful and a source of hope and inspiration for the Cuban people who have suffered so much over the last sixty years”, Dr. Miller said.
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Ahead of his talks with Castro, Obama announced a deal that Google has reached with the island. He was to be feted in the evening at a state dinner, an honor illustrating just how far the USA and Cuba have come despite their deep ideological differences. “I’ve been talking to all my friends about Obama, and we’re just happy to see him coming”.
