Cuba and the United States continue their talks despite tensions, with discussions recently taking place at a high diplomatic level in Havana, a Cuban Foreign Ministry official confirmed on Monday.
“A meeting between the Cuban and American delegations recently took place here in Cuba,” stated Alejandro Garcia to the state-run daily Granma, who is the deputy general director in charge of bilateral relations with the US, confirming reports in the American press.
Alejandro Garcia mentioned “a sensitive subject” to be handled “discreetly,” indicating that the meeting occurred at a high diplomatic level: “From the American side, deputy secretaries of State and from the Cuban side, vice ministers of Foreign Affairs participated” in the meeting.
Cuba’s priority, according to the diplomat, is “the lifting of the energy siege.” The American media outlet Axios reported that senior US officials met with Cuban officials in Havana on April 10, including Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of the former leader, Raul Castro.
Despite not holding an official position in the government, Raul Castro’s daughter, Mariela Castro, revealed to reporters that her father participated in decision-making analyses during the talks. The US diplomats reportedly raised several demands during the meeting, including the release of political prisoners.
The talks between the US and the communist island have been ongoing for weeks amid heightened tensions between the two ideological adversaries. In addition to the longstanding American embargo since 1962, Washington has imposed severe restrictions on Cuba’s oil imports since January, even as a Russian oil tanker arrived in late March.
President Trump had hinted at discussions with Cuban officials, which were later confirmed by Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel. In a goodwill gesture towards the Vatican, Cuba released 51 prisoners and later granted freedom to over 2,000 detainees for Holy Week, drawing criticism from human rights organizations for lack of transparency in the process.
As tensions simmer, Cuba also announced in mid-March that expatriate Cubans and their descendants, particularly in the US, could invest in and own businesses in numerous sectors on the island, prompting differing reactions from Cuban-American Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a staunch critic of the communist regime in Havana.
