Cuba and the United States hold migration talks

Havana, April 16 (RHC) Representatives of Cuba and the United States held bilateral migration talks in Washington this Tuesday, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its website.

The meeting was chaired by Carlos Fernández de Cossío, Cuban Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Eric Jacobstein, US Deputy Undersecretary of State of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the Department of State.

The delegations reviewed the status of compliance with the bilateral Migration Agreements, the texts of which record the mutual commitment to guarantee regular, safe and orderly migration.

The Cuban representatives reaffirmed the island’s willingness to comply and respect, as up to now, the established commitments and reiterated its concern about the policies and measures to encourage irregular migration that remain in force by political decision of the US government.

Cuba denounced the negative impact of the US economic blockade and its extreme reinforcement applied since 2019 on the socioeconomic conditions of the Cuban population, a factor that constitutes an important incentive for migration, as well as the permanence of the country on the so-called List of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

It also reiterated the importance of reestablishing the processing of non-immigrant visas at the US Embassy in Havana, a consular facility that would prevent the transfer to third countries of Cuban citizens interested in this type of visa.

The Caribbean country insisted on the importance of compliance with bilateral migration agreements in their entirety and not selectively, and reaffirmed its willingness to continue the rounds of talks on migration matters with the United States. (Source: ACN)