National Government Diplomacy Between U.S. and Cuba Fully Renewed After Embassy Opens in Washington

WASHINGTON — President Obama's administration and the Cuban government had set July 20 as the date that diplomatic relations between the countries would be completely renewed. The day was marked by the opening of the Cuban embassy in Washington and its raising of the island country's flag.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry

At a joint news conference Monday afternoon with Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodriguez, Secretary of State John Kerry said that the two countries "are determined to live as good neighbors on the basis of mutual respect."

Kerry continued, “This does not signify an end to the differences that separate our governments, but it does reflect the reality that the Cold War ended long ago.” He also added that many of the remaining differences are "stark," and that "There are things that (each country) would like to see happen."

Prior to Monday, the Cuban embassy was known as Washington's Cuban Interests Section. Relations between the two countries went cold soon after Fidel Castro's 1959 overthrow of the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship. 

Those relations began thawing over the last two years from 18 months of secret negotiations between the two governments, and President Obama's formal announcement of the thaw last December.

Since then, changes include the prisoner release trade of U.S. government contractor Alan Gross and a U.S. spy for 3 Cuban spies. Cuba has been removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, and most recently, the promise of diplomatic access for the U.S. to non-governmental Cubans was gained.

There are still changes that have not yet been reached for the U.S. and the nation once known for its strong friendship with the former Soviet Union, perhaps chiefly the ending of the 54 year-long trade embargo. Lifting the embargo would require the approval of Congress.

But some high-ranking Republicans, who have voiced opposition to the extraordinary shift in American policy on Cuba since it was first announced, continued to do so over the weekend. In a statement, Florida Senator and presidential candidate Marco Rubio called President Obama’s "concessions" to Cuba "deeply troubling." "Cuba harbors terrorists and fugitives from justice who have killed American citizens and brutalizes peaceful pro-democracy activists," said Rubio, who also repeated that he would "block the confirmation of any ambassador to this despicable regime." 

Former Florida Governor and presidential candidate Jeb Bush also issued condemnation of the changes on the eve of the Cuban embassy's opening. "Obama's rush to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba is wrong. This embassy will only serve to further legitimize repressive regime," said Bush in a Twitter post.