After 54 years, Cuba, US to restore ties on July 20

After five decades of icy relations and more than six months of negotiations, Cuba and the United States will restore diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies in their respective capitals as of July 20, an official release said Wednesday.

According to Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex), Jeffrey DeLaurentis, head of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, delivered a letter addressed to Cuban President Raul Castro from his U.S. counterpart, which "confirms the decision to reestablish diplomatic relations between the two countries and open permanent diplomatic missions in their respective embassies, starting July 20, 2015."

Meanwhile, Ramon Cabanas Rodriguez, head of Cuba's Interests Section in Washington, was received Wednesday morning at the State Department in Washington by interim Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, to whom he delivered a letter from Castro to Obama, which confirmed the Republic of Cuba's decision to reestablish diplomatic ties with the United States, Granma reported.

Cuban state daily Granma reported that prior to US President Barack Obama's scheduled 11 am address from Washington to officially announce the historic step, the two countries exchanged missives confirming their decision to restore ties and open embassies starting July 20.

Cuban and US diplomats have been working since January to fulfill the agreement announced by the two heads of state on Dec 17 regarding their decision to restore ties broken off in January 1961 as part of sanctions against the revolution led by Fidel Castro.

The historic announcement was followed by four rounds of negotiations in Havana and Washington, to hash out details, such as the number of diplomatic personnel and the limits on their freedom of movement, and other mutual concerns.

"As authorities from both nations have said, having full diplomatic missions in Havana and Washington is just one step in the much longer and more complicated process of normalizing ties," said the daily.

Normalizing ties, said Cuba, would depend on the U.S. lifting the trade embargo against the island country and withdrawing from Guantanamo Bay. On Wednesday, the Cuban government said the US must also end radio and TV broadcasts into Cuba, and stop "subversive" programs, emphasizing that these were necessary steps to normalize the relations.