HAVANA (AP) — A delegation of at least three U.S. lawmakers visited Havana and met with the Cuban government this week, U.S. and Cuban officials confirmed.
Representatives James McGovern (D-MA), Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Troy Carter (D-LA) met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, leaders of the Cuban Congress and his foreign minister, the US Embassy in Cuba for Associated Press on Sunday.
It is one of the few visits of this type to the island in recent decades. While officials provided few details about what was discussed, Díaz-Canel and Cuba’s Congress tweeted photos of the meetings.
One photo shows Representative McGovern shaking hands with the Cuban leader, and another photo shows the politicians meeting with other Cuban officials.
“We addressed our differences and topics of common interest. We affirmed our willingness to improve bilateral relations,” Díaz-Canel tweeted on Saturday, also stressing that he expressed the importance of ending the six-decade-old trade embargo imposed by the US government on the island.
The meeting follows several visits in recent months by Biden administration officials to discuss migration. The talks mark a gradual easing of tensions, which eased under the Obama administration and escalated under the Trump administration.
Cuba is facing the largest exodus from the island in a decade, fueled by worsening economic, energy and political crises.
In the past year, arrivals of Cubans at the US-Mexico border have skyrocketed, and a growing number of boats full of migrants have been found off the coast of Florida.
In October, Cubans replaced Venezuelans as the second nationality after Mexicans arrived at the border. U.S. authorities detained Cubans 28,848 times, up 10 percent from the previous month, according to the latest data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
They also come weeks before the United States plans to resume visa and consular services on the island, which were halted after a series of health incidents involving American diplomats in 2017.
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