Havana, August 14 (RHC)-- Cuba and the United States have announced the creation of a bilateral commission to further advance the process of the re-establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Speaking at a joint news conference Friday afternoon with his U.S. counterpart, John Kerry, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that a new stage has been reached in relations between Havana and Washington. The Cuban foreign minister announced the creation of a bilateral commission to define immediate topics that will be discussed in the near future.

Bruno Rodriguez said that the meeting on Friday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was "respectful and constructive," adding that bilateral issues of mutual interest were discussed to advance the full normalization of relations.

Both the U.S. secretary of state and Cuba's foreign minister agreed that the newly-formed commission would open new areas of dialogue and consolidate mechanisms that have already been created, especially in areas like the environment and health care.

The Cuban foreign minister said that Havana and Washington will go forward in future talks between the two sides, despite "profound differences" in the areas of democracy, human rights and diplomacy.