The president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, met this weekend with a delegation of US congressmen led by Democrat James McGovern with the desire to improve bilateral relations. McGovern is the co-chair of the House Human Rights Committee, and was accompanied on his visit by his colleagues Mark Pocan and Troy Carter.
“I received a delegation from the United States Congress chaired by James McGovern. We addressed our differences and issues of common interest. The shared will to improve bilateral relations was ratified. I expressed the need to put an end to measures that harm the Cuban population“, wrote Diaz-Canel on his Twitter account.
During the meeting, the Cuban leader took the opportunity to complain about the impact of the US embargo and the measures imposed by the Donald Trump government that are still in force. In addition to Díaz-Canel, on the Cuban side the meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez; Vice Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío; the Deputy Director General in charge of the United States at the Foreign Ministry, Johana de la Torre; and the president of the National Assembly, Esteban Lazo.
According to the Cubanet portal, McGovern stated after the meeting that both parties want “work to tear down the walls, to have a more mature and constructive relationship for the benefit of the peoples of Cuba and the United States”.
This year, President Joe Biden allowed remittances to be sent from the United States to Cuba and gave the go-ahead for US airlines to expand their flight frequencies to the island. In July, the House of Representatives rejected a proposal by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib that would facilitate the sale of agricultural products to the Cuban government.