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Obama and Castro welcome 'frank but respectful' dialogue

US President has declared his historic visit to Cuba sets "a new chapter" in relations between the two countries. The leaders discussed a number of issues, but found common ground on the hope of lifting a US-imposed economic embargo on Cuba...

Castro and Obama
Cuban President Raul Castro, left, shakes hands with U.S. President Barack Obama during a meeting in Havana (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa) Source: AP

It is day two of an extremely significant three-day Cuban visit for Barack Obama, and the US President says the two nations are now engaged across more areas than he has witnessed in his lifetime.

He met Cuban President Raul Castro for discussions which lasted hours, and no topic was off the table. The pair later held a joint press conference to go through those topics, President Obama saying the US has recognised developments made in Cuba, particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.

 

The countries agreed to greater cooperation for the prevention and treatment of diseases such as zika and cancer. An initiative to educate more Cubans at US schools, and vice versa, was also announced.

 

But a trade embargo imposed on Cuba 50 years ago remains a barrier, as the US Congress continues to block Barack Obama's efforts to dismantle it. Raul Castro calls it the "biggest obstacle" to Cuba's economic development and Obama says the embargo will eventually be lifted, but couldn't confirm when...

 

 


1 min read

Published

By Omar Dabbagh

Presented by Branko Cvetojevic



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