Since the United States and Cuba re-established diplomatic relations in 2015, President Obama and other U.S. officials have traveled to Cuba, and the two nations have managed their renewed agendas through a bilateral commission process.
A Presidential Policy Directive announced October 14 outlines a future of greater cooperation for the United States and Cuba. The directive’s goal is to improve the livelihoods of the Cuban people, to connect Cuba to the United States and the wider world and to address differences through dialogue.
On October 14, the U.S. departments of the Treasury and Commerce also released a sixth set of regulatory amendments to the Cuba sanctions program. These amendments make it easier to engage in authorized travel and business with Cuba and facilitate the free flow of information to, from and within Cuba.
During his historic March visit to Cuba, Obama underscored how reconciliation of Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits is fundamental to Cuba’s future and talked about continued U.S. support for a prosperous and stable Cuba.
“I believe in the Cuban people. This is not just a policy of normalizing relations with the Cuban government. The United States of America is normalizing relations with the Cuban people,” the president said.
