(VOVworld) - The Cuban flag was raised at the US State Department Monday, in a historic gesture to mark renewed diplomatic ties between Havana and Washington as embassies were reestablished in their respective capitals.

The Cuban flag is added to a display of flags at the US State Department at 4:00am local time (0800 GMT) in Washington on July 20, 2015 (Photo: AFP)

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla will travel to the Cuban Embassy in Washington to raise his country's flag at a ceremony to open the embassy and is expected to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry. The two sides will discuss a number of issues including global health, access to telecommunications services in Cuba and unresolved issues in the normalization of bilateral ties.