Featured image: The National Capitolium of Cuba. Photo: visitarcuba.org.
The US consulate in Havana will also resume services for US citizens in Cuba and will handle the issuance of non-immigrant emergency visas.
Cuba and the United States have agreed to resume limited consular services for visas to the US, starting from May this year. The measure comes after both governments resumed bilateral talks on Thursday, April 21, to address migration issues.
Consequently, the US consulate in Havana will resume its services, which includes services for US citizens and the issuance of non-migratory emergency visas. The US Department of State announced in a statement that it had agreed that it is important to implement mechanisms that promote “safe, regular and orderly” migration.
According to the statement, such a measure is “consistent with US interests in fostering family reunification and promoting greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba.”
In the round of migration talks held in Washington DC, #Cuba reiterated concern over the measures adopted by US government that encourage migration, prevent legal & orderly migration and create the social & economic conditions that incentivize emigration.https://t.co/OKzX5nu6rs
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) April 22, 2022
However, Cuba expressed concern about the US-imposed blockade, toughened even in the midst of the pandemic, which has led to the deterioration of the living conditions of Cuban citizens. The Cuban delegation in the talks in Washington specifically alluded to the reinforcement of the economic blockade. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez, decried that the sanctions are generating “social and economic conditions that encourage migration.”
#Cuba reitera que Estados Unidos debe cesar de obstaculizar y violar los derechos de los cubanos a viajar a terceros países del área y reclama el cumplimiento de los acuerdos migratorios bilaterales en su integralidad y no selectivamente.
— Bruno Rodríguez P (@BrunoRguezP) April 22, 2022
“Cuba reiterates that the United States must stop hindering and violating the rights of Cubans [by making them travel] to third countries in the hemisphere and demands compliance with the bilateral migratory agreements in their entirety and not just selectively,” Rodríguez stated.
The meeting held by officials from Havana and Washington to discuss immigration issues is the first after a four-year pause which was imposed by the administration of then President Donald Trump. The “pause” had been maintained to date by the current US President Joe Biden. Although no new agreements were reached on this matter, both delegations discussed about the need to return to existing agreements, especially in view of the current migration situation. It is estimated that thousands of Cubans have recently decided to emigrate to the United States, both through Central America and also by sea.
Featured image: The National Capitolium of Cuba. Photo: visitarcuba.org.
(RT)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/GMS/
