Recent talks between Cuba and the United States in Havana

Cuba and the United States continue their talks despite tensions, with discussions recently taking place in Havana at a high diplomatic level, a Cuban Foreign Ministry official confirmed on Monday.

“A meeting between the Cuban and American delegations took place recently here in Cuba,” declared Alejandro Garcia to the state newspaper Granma. Garcia, the deputy general director in charge of bilateral relations with the United States, confirmed information reported in the American press.

Alejandro Garcia mentioned a “sensitive issue” that had to be dealt with “discreetly” and indicated that the meeting took place at a high diplomatic level: “From the American side, deputy secretaries from the Department of State and from the Cuban side (it took place) at the level of deputy foreign ministers.”

Cuba’s priority, according to Garcia, is “the lifting of the energy blockade.”

On Friday, the American media outlet Axios reported that top American officials had met with Cuban officials in Havana on April 10, including Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of former leader Raul Castro.

Although not holding official government positions, Rodriguez Castro, who serves as his grandfather’s chief of security, had already been mentioned by American media as having met with close aides of the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in secret talks.

In the meeting, no deadlines or demands were set, as some American media had reported. All exchanges were described by Garcia as respectful and professional. The diplomat also criticized the “unjust punishment” imposed on the Cuban population due to the energy blockade and denounced the “blackmail” by Washington against countries wishing to export oil to Cuba.

Discreet negotiations have been ongoing between the United States and the communist island for weeks, amid increased tension between the two neighbors and ideological enemies.

Apart from the American embargo in place since 1962, Washington, which openly desires a regime change in Havana, has imposed strict restrictions on Cuba’s oil imports since January. However, a Russian oil tanker arrived on the island at the end of March.

As President Donald Trump claimed from mid-January that talks were ongoing with top Cuban officials, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel eventually confirmed these negotiations two months later.

The day before, Havana announced the release of 51 prisoners as a sign of “goodwill” towards the Vatican, a historic mediator between the two countries. Then on April 4, over 2,000 prisoners were granted clemency as a “humanitarian and sovereign gesture” for Easter.

Human rights organizations have criticized the lack of transparency in the release process. Cubalex, an organization based in Miami, recently stated that out of the 51 announced releases, they could only confirm the liberation of “24 political prisoners” and that no political detainees had been pardoned.

During the heightened tension between the two countries, Havana also announced in mid-March that Cuban expatriates and their children, particularly the community in the United States, could invest on the island and own businesses in various sectors, including agriculture and banking.

Cuban-American Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a strong opponent of the communist regime in Havana, described these measures as far from being “sufficient” and called for a “radical” economic and political change.