President Raul Castro had a telephone Conversation with President Barack Obama

In the afternoon of September 18, 2015, Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and of Ministers of Cuba, had a telephone conversation with Barack Obama, President of the United States, just a few days prior to his visit to New York to attend the UN Post- 2015 Development Agenda Summit and the High Level Segment of the Seventieth Session of the United Nations General Assembly next week.

Both dignitaries exchanged on the steps that have been taken since the meeting they had in Panama in the context of the Summit of the Americas, including the re-establishment of diplomatic relations and the re-opening of embassies in both countries; as well as on the agenda to be addressed during the next few months as part of the process towards the normalization of bilateral relations.

They also talked about the next visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Cuba and the United States and recognized his contribution to the beginning of a new stage in the relations between the two countries.

With regard to the regulations announced on September 18 by the Department of Commerce and the Treasury, which complement those which came into force as of January 16, President Raúl Castro emphasized the need to expand their scope and abrogate, once and for all, the blockade policy for the benefit of both peoples.

The Cuban President reiterated to President Obama Cuba’s willingness to move forward in its relations with the United States based on respect and sovereign equality.