WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Obama arrived in Panama on Thursday. On Friday, he is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela.
White House official said in a statement:
"I can confirm that President Obama spoke with President Castro on Wednesday, before President Obama departed Washington."
While no bilateral meeting between Obama and Castro has been formally planned, a discussion between the two leaders may occur on Saturday, according to local media reports.
The Summit of the Americas, which is taking place on April 10-11, is a gathering of countries from the Western Hemisphere in which policy solutions to urgent regional challenges are addressed. Cuba is participating in the 2015 Summit for the first time.
Obama announced in December 2014 that Washington would normalize relations with Havana, ease travel and trade restrictions.
