In a major stop toward seeking to end decades of animosity between former Cold War foes, President Barack Obama announced on Twitter this week that he will travel to Cuba on March 21 and 22. First Lady Michelle Obama will join her husband on the trip.
This will be the first visit by a U.S. president to Cuba since 1928. Calvin Coolidge was the last president to visit the Caribbean island. “Next month, I’ll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people,” Obama said.
“In addition to holding a bilateral meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro, President Obama will engage with members of civil society, entrepreneurs and Cubans from different walks of life,” said White House Press Secretary Josh Ernst . The president also plans to meet with Cuban dissidents who oppose the policies of the Cuban communist government.
Josefina Vidal, the director of U.S. affairs for the Cuban Foreign Ministry, said the Cuban government is willing to talk with the United States about its concerns. “Cuba is open to speak to the U.S. government about any topic, including human rights,” Vidal told reporters. She said the Cuban government wants Guantanamo Bay returned to Cuba and the embargo lifted before relations can be fully normalized.
In 2014, the two countries agreed to move to reopen ties and reestablished diplomatic relations last year, all part of the president’s foreign policy legacy. However, the U.S. embargo, which has been in place for more than 50 years, remains. The White House indicated that traveling to Cuba now rather than at the end of the president’s term would give the United States more leverage to make progress on expanding business opportunities for both Cuba and the United States.
“This visit is another demonstration of the president’s commitment to charge a new course for U.S.-Cuban relations and connect U.S. and Cuban citizens through expanded travel, commerce, and access to information,” White House Press Secretary Ernst said.
The president will travel to Argentina as well, following his Cuba visit, where he will meet with Argentina President Mauricio Macri. It has been almost two decades since the last bilaterally focused visit by a U.S. president in Argentina.
