WASHINGTON (NEWSWATCH33) – President Obama announced that the U.S. Embassy will reopen in Cuba in order to reestablish political ties between the two nations. The U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, would reopen for the first time since 1961.
Not only will the U.S Embassy reopen in Cuba, the Cuban Embassy will reopen in Washington, D.C. which will bring new political ties between the two nations. President Obama made the announcement in the Rose Garden at the White House. According to President Obama, the newly formed relationship between Cuba and the United States will eventually lead to economic growth and a freer Cuba.
Both the U.S. and Cuban Embassies will reopen later this month. Obama believes that the strained relationship between the U.S. and Cuba made little impact on the political situation in the country.
“Nobody expects Cuba to be changed overnight,” Obama said. “But I believe that American engagement through our embassy, through our businesses and most importantly through our people, is the best way to advance our interests and support for democracy and human rights.”
Obama has also called on Congress to lift the decades long embargo on Cuba which will enable economic prosperity for Cuba and the United States.
“Americans and Cubans alike are ready to move forward. I believe it’s time for Congress to do the same,” he said. “I’ve called on Congress to take steps to lift the embargo that prevents Americans from traveling or doing business in Cuba. Yes, there are those who want to turn down the clock and double down on a policy of isolation, but it is long past time for us to realize that this approach doesn’t work and it hasn’t worked for 50 years. It shuts America out of Cuba’s future, and it only makes life worse for the Cuban people.”
