Obama, Castro to Assess Progress in Normalization of US-Cuba Relations

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama will have a discussion with his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro about the progress in restoration of US-Cuba ties during the Summit of the Americas, US Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes said on Friday.

“We certainly anticipate that [Obama and Castro] will have a discussion tomorrow in the context of the summit,” Rhodes said.

“The two leaders will be able to address…where we are in the process of normalization, where we are in the discussions around the establishment of embassies and where we are going to continue to have differences.”

Rhodes noted, however, that there is no formal meeting scheduled between the two presidents.

The White House said earlier on Friday that Obama spoke with Castro over the phone prior to leaving for the Seventh Summit of the Americas, which is taking place in Panama on April 10-11.

The Summit of the Americas 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.

On December 17, 2014, President Obama announced the official normalization of relations with Cuba, including the restoration of diplomatic relations, the lifting of financial, trade and visa restrictions, and the forthcoming decision to exclude Cuba from the list of sponsors of terrorism.