Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed on Friday that officials from Havana have recently held discussions with representatives of the United States government, which he described as a process "in the initial phases" aimed at exploring possible avenues for dialogue between the two countries.
The ruler compared the current moment to the conversations that led to the restoration of diplomatic relations between Havana and Washington during Barack Obama's administration.
"This is not the first time Cuba has entered into a conversation of this kind. The most recent example was the way Army General Raúl Castro conducted discussions with President Obama," he recalled.
Díaz-Canel explained that the aim of these initial exchanges is to determine which bilateral issues require immediate resolution, identify possible avenues to address them, and assess whether there is political will on both sides.
During a television intervention where he answered questions from the pro-government press, the president insisted that the Cuban government would report on the process only when there are concrete advancements and he refused to respond to what he termed as "speculative campaigns."
"We are reporting exactly the moment we are in that process," he stated.
He explained that these are proceedings that typically take place discreetly and require time before leading to formal negotiations.
"These are processes that are carried out with great discretion; they are lengthy processes that require initiating contact, creating possibilities for dialogue, and having a willingness for dialogue," he said.
Díaz-Canel stated that the country has not yet reached the stage of formal negotiations or concrete agreements.
"We are still far from that, as we are in the initial phases of that process," he stated.
The leader explained that the issue was recently discussed in a meeting of the country's political leadership, with the participation of the Political Bureau, the Secretariat of the Communist Party, the Executive Committee, and the Council of Ministers, where the current state of relations between Cuba and the United States was evaluated.
He reiterated that the exchanges with representatives from Washington are "to seek through dialogue a possible solution to the bilateral differences that exist between our two nations."
The contacts have been facilitated by international actors who have promoted communication channels between both governments.
The Cuban leader also mentioned the possibility of finding areas of cooperation that contribute to the "security and peace of both countries and the region."
"That is the moment we are currently in regarding the conversations or dialogue with the United States," he concluded.
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