Blinken: we are amid a review of our Cuba policy

During an interview with journalist Lucia Duraccio of the Italian RAI TG1 channel on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about the assessment of bilateral relations between Washington and Havana.

The journalist recalled the overwhelming vote of the international community last week, in which 184 countries voted in favor of lifting the blockade against the Caribbean island. Is the dialogue initiated by former President Obama over for good?  Duraccio asked.

The Secretary of State reiterated his administration is amid a review of its Cuba policy and that in its first six months, President Biden revitalized relationships with partners and allies, returned to multilateral institutions, rejoined the Paris Climate Agreement, re-engaged with the World Health Organization and convened a leaders' summit on climate.

Blinken added that there are only certain things that can be done in six months. "One of the things that we are looking at very carefully right now is the Cuba policy. It is under review, " he said, with democracy and human rights at its core as a matter of basic principle.

Acknowledging that human rights are also important for the U.S. as far as Cuba is concerned, the Italian journalist Duraccio contrasted Washington's relations with other countries and asked about the role dialogue might play in improving the conditions of the Cuban people.

Secretary of State Blinken replied the Biden administration has never resisted dialogue anywhere.

"We spent some months reviewing our policy toward North Korea, for example, and we announced that policy just a few weeks ago. We're doing the same thing with Cuba," he said.