(VOVworld)- The US and Cuba are holding their highest-level talks on normalizing bilateral ties in the Cuban capital, Havana. The talks are aimed at restoring full diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The US delegation is led by Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America Roberta Jacobson and the Cuban delegation is led by Josefina Vidal, head of US relations at Cuba’s Foreign Ministry. The talks will focus on immigration and the appointment of ambassadors.
The two countries have already carried out a series of measures to boost bilateral ties. The US removed travel and trade bans. In return, Cuba freed 53 American political prisoners. Prior to the talks, from January 16 to 18, a delegation of US Congressmen who supported the restoration of ties and the lifting of the US embargo on Cuba visited Cuba to discuss future trade.
Building trust
US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced they would normalize bilateral ties in late 2014. The Havana talks represent a historic opportunity to resume close ties. Though both Cuba and the US have shown a will to eliminate their differences, it will take time to normalize ties because some problems cannot be resolved overnight.
Migration has been one of the controversial issues for decades. Cuba has always protested the US’s “wet foot, dry foot” policy, under which any Cuban citizen intercepted off the US coast by the US Coast Guard will be returned to Cuba. But if they set foot on US soil, they will receive permanent residency after submitting their Cuban ID card. This policy has encouraged illegal migration from Cuba to the US. Many Cuban people gamble their lives to cross the sea to the US. In July, 2014, US and Cuban officials discussed the migration issue but failed to reach a specific deal. High on the agenda of the US-Cuban talks in Havana will be the removal of Cuba from the list of terrorism supporters which has blocked Cuba’s access to international financial institutions. A lifting of travel bans that Cuba has imposed on US diplomats will also be discussed.
The talks are the first step in building trust between the US and Cuba. Despite their good will and preliminary efforts, the two countries face some challenges to normalize their ties. US Republicans who control both houses of Congress oppose the goal. Disagreement is also coming from Cubans living in the US and other countries. After more than 50 years of suffering from the US embargo, it will be hard for Cubans to immediately forget the past and abandon their skepticism.
A long path ahead
How long will it take to normalize ties between the US and Cuba? Because the two countries are neighbors- separated by just 145 km of sea, they enjoy favorable travel and trade opportunities. More importantly, there are no war legacies between them. In recent years, the Cuban government has drastically reformed its economy, which will help Cuba to boost cooperation with the US after normalization.
The US-Cuban relationship is one of the most complicated in the world with more than half a century of ups and downs. Normalization will require time and considerable effort from both sides.