The former Democratic Cuban-American congressman Joe García celebrated this Saturday the discussions between the governments of the United States and Cuba, calling them "very good news" in a video posted on Instagram.
"The governments of the United States and Cuba are in talks again," García stated in the 38-second clip, where he explicitly references an article by journalist Marc Caputo from Axios that confirms the progress of those negotiations.
"[It] confirms what many of us knew was happening, that both governments are talking," noted the former congressman.
The report by the American media revealed that on Friday a delegation from the State Department met in Havana with representatives of the Cuban regime, including Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as El Cangrejo, the 41-year-old grandson of Raúl Castro and head of his personal security.
Washington considers Raúl Guillermo the de facto spokesperson for the former leader, who retains real power despite lacking a formal position, while Miguel Díaz-Canel did not participate in the meetings.
It was also the first landing of an official U.S. plane in Cuba since the visit of Barack Obama in 2016, according to the same report.
Among the demands made by the U.S. are compensations for goods confiscated since 1959, the release of political prisoners, guarantees for free elections, access to the internet via Starlink, and attention to the presence of foreign intelligence on the island.
García, who in March had already thanked Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his role in the process and stated, "against all hope, there is hope," displayed a similarly optimistic tone this Saturday following the public confirmation of the contacts.
"This is good news in a difficult time for the island of Cuba and its citizens," expressed the former congressman, who has historically supported dialogue conditioned on real reforms.
The diplomatic process is taking place amidst a severe economic crisis in Cuba, which the Trump administration has described as comparable to the Special Period of the 1990s.
At the beginning of April, Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal described the process as a "very preliminary phase" without formal negotiation, while this Friday Díaz-Canel stated that Cuba will never be a trophy or a star.
García closed his message with a note of hope: "I hope, I have faith, that these conversations will lead to something important at a crucial moment in the history of Cuba and its citizens".
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