During a press conference held Friday in the Cuban capital, President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed the existence of a dialogue process — currently in its initial phase — between Cuban officials and representatives of the United States government, aimed at finding solutions to bilateral differences.
In response to a question from Prensa Latina, the President — who also serves as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba — underscored that there has been much speculation surrounding this process, and noted that it has long been a practice of the Revolution not to respond to such campaigns.
He clarified that this is a highly sensitive process, being conducted with the discretion and responsibility required at every stage, given that it concerns the ties between Cuba and the United States.
The Cuban leader emphasized that these exchanges demand a tenacious effort to achieve progress toward solutions; therefore, it is necessary to identify areas of mutual understanding that allow the process to move forward and enable the two sides to “move away from confrontation.”
He explained that the recent conversations are taking place in accordance with the consistent policy that has always characterized the Revolution—under the leadership of Army General Raúl Castro as its historic leader, as well as his own—and have been collectively deliberated with the principal authorities of the Cuban Party, Government, and State.
He pointed out that these exchanges have been facilitated by international actors—a circumstance which, he clarified, is not unprecedented—and recalled the dialogue process led by then-President Raúl Castro with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, which ultimately led to the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Díaz-Canel noted that the conversations are aimed at defining the specific bilateral issues at hand and identifying pathways to resolve them, as well as determining whether there is sufficient political will on both sides to implement concrete actions that benefit both nations.
The Cuban leader further elaborated that this entails identifying areas of cooperation through which shared threats can be addressed, thereby ensuring the security and peace of both countries and the wider region. “In these exchanges, we have expressed our willingness to continue the process based on the principles of equality and respect for the political systems of both countries — as well as for sovereignty and self-determination — while also applying the principle of reciprocity in accordance with international law,” he stated.
Present at the press conference were high-ranking officials from the Communist Party of Cuba, the Cuban Government, and the Cuban State, as well as representatives from various media outlets.
[ S0URCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
