Obama Receives Cuban Ambassador’s Credentials

Cuba formally has an official ambassador in the United States from this Thursday afternoon, after the White House approved the credentials of Jose Ramon Cabanas Rodriguez as the new head of his country’s diplomatic office in Washington.

Although the embargo on Cuba has yet to be lifted, a move only possible by way of a congressional ruling, authorities have pledged to complete the normalization of relations between the states before President Obama leaves office in January 2017.

Jose Cabanas is a veteran diplomat who has run Cuba’s “interests section” in Washington since 2012.

Chief of Mission Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the senior-most official in the new USA embassy, has been serving as Charge d’Affaires since then.

The restored diplomatic relations of the United States and Cuba will bring forth two significant changes: a resumed direct mail service and an agreement on regularly scheduled commercial flights. The US Government has not yet appointed its new ambassador to Cuba.

The Cuban embassy in Washington was reopened in July, and the USA embassy in Cuba was reopened one month later – steps considered a major milestone in the restoration of full diplomatic relations of two countries. After over five decades of mutual hostility, a thaw in ties gained momentum following a meeting between Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro last December. Castro’s call marks the first time that a president from Cuba visited the USA since his older brother and former president, Fidel, spoke before the United Nations in 1995, BBC wrote. The regulations would also make it easier for airlines and cruise ships to import technology to improve safety in Cuba; loosen restrictions on software exports; and allow companies to establish subsidiaries with Cuba. He served as vice minister of foreign relations and has occupied various high level posts in several countries.