Havana, March 18 (RHC)-- Starting this Monday, the United States will only grant Cuban citizens B2 tourists visas with a validity of three months with one single entry. The measure eliminates the 5-year validity visa that was granted until last week.

In a statement over the weekend, the Cuban Foreign Ministry described the measure as‘unfair’ and said that Cuban citizens are faced with numerous obstacles just to go to the northern nation for family visits and business trips, and accused Washington of making changes to this type of visa as its latest dig at Cuba, after closing the American Consulate on the island.

Consequently, Cubans are forced to travel to a third country to access these international service or to review the status on their visas requests "without guarantee.”

The document noted that "Cuba offers all the facilities for US citizens, from any country in the world, to obtain a visa that is issued at the time,"  and considered that the changes only "imposes high economic costs to family travel and exchange in multiple locations."

"If the United States really wants to apply reciprocity, it should immediately open its Consulate in Havana, resume the process of granting visas that it arbitrarily and unjustly interrupted more than a year ago,  and eliminate the prohibition for US citizens to travel freely to Cuba,” the Ministry said, adding that Havana will continue to guarantee “the growing flow of travelers in both directions in a regular, orderly and safe manner."