Quito, August 27 (RHC)-- Cuba's ambassador in Ecuador, Rafael Dausa, gave a lecture Friday at the Technical University Luis Vargas, in the province of Esmeraldas, on the current state of relations between Cuba and the United States.

The talk was held on the occasion of the activities organized in Ecuador's coastal region throughout this month to mark the 90th birthday of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, celebrated on August 13.

During his appearance before students and teachers at university, Dausa explained that after the restoration of diplomatic relations between Havana and Washington, in July last year, there has been some progress on the road to normalization of relations – but that much remains to be done.

The Cuban ambassador to Ecuador noted that even today, U.S. tourists are prohibited from traveling to Cuba for their vacations.
And he said that the U.S. blockade remains in effect – and that education, health care, basic industries, tourism and construction are among the sectors most negatively affected by the blockade.

Rafael Dausa also referred to the U.S. naval base that the United States maintains illegally on Cuban territory in the eastern province of Guantanamo and emphasized that the U.S. must return Guantanamo to its rightful owners: the Cuban people.