The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Carlos Fernández de Cossíoassured on Friday that for the moment has only seen the will of USA from dialogue with your government on migrationand not regarding other topics.
A day following participating in Washington in the first bilateral dialogue on migration in almost four years, Fernández de Cossío also said that there is little that distinguishes the Cuba policy of President Joe Biden and that of his predecessor, Donald Trump.
“In practical terms, we have seen almost no difference (between Biden and Trump)in the sense of the impact that US policy is having on the daily life of the people of Cuba,” said the Cuban deputy minister in a meeting with journalists.
Fernández de Cossío led the Cuban delegation in the bilateral dialogue of immigration issueswhich according to the provisions of the bilateral agreements must be held twice a year, but which had not taken place since July 2018 due to a lack of will by the Trump government.
Asked if during the conversation he saw the will of the United States to advance on other issues of the bilateral relationship, the Cuban diplomat replied that he did not.
“At the moment, the will that we have seen on their part is to dialogue only on migration issues,” Fernandez de Cossío stressed, quoted by EFE.
Thursday’s talks, which were led on the US side by Emily Mendrala, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, ended without much progress.
Havana insisted on his accusation that Washington encourages irregular flows towards the United States and asked it to comply with the bilateral agreements on migration in its “integrality and not selectively,” according to a statement published Thursday by the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
The Cuban government accuses the United States of failing to fulfill its commitment to issue in Havana “no less than 20,000 annual visas to Cubans” to emigrate to the North American country, as agreed in 2017.
Nevertheless, It is not known if the intense flow of Cuban migrants through Nicaragua, which exempted residents on the island from visas since November 2021, was on the agenda of the meeting. That factor, according to several analysts, has been used by Havana as a mechanism of political pressure, while at the same time to alleviate the accumulated discontent in the country.
According to a note from the State Department at the end of Thursday’s meeting, “The US delegation highlighted areas of successful cooperation on migration, while identifying problems that have been obstacles to meeting the objectives of the Migration Agreements. Participating in these talks underscores our commitment to engage in constructive talks with the Government of Cuba when appropriate to advance US interests. These discussions represent the first Migration Agreement talks between the United States and Cuba since 2018.”
“To allow safe, legal and orderly migration between Cuba and the United States remains a mutual interest between the United States and Cuba and is consistent with United States interests in fostering family reunification and promoting greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.”
In terms of migration, the US Embassy in Cuba announced that starting in May it will once once more process migrant visas from Havana, as part of the “gradual expansion” of consular activity, although in a “limited” manner and without fixed deadlines. .
While the Government of Cuba reproaches the United States for not fulfilling its commitments regarding visas, Washington denounces that Havana has not accepted any deportation of Cubans since last October by commercial or charter flights from US territory.
