The United States announced on Monday (16) the relaxation of a number of restrictions imposed on Cuba during the Donald Trump administration. Havana congratulated the decision, but reminded that it did not change the embargo in effect since 1962.

“The US government’s statement is a small step in the right direction,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said. However, he reiterated that “neither its goals nor its main means are changing, which is the failure of US policy towards Cuba.”

For Cuban diplomacy, “measures are positive, but very limited in scope.” A statement posted on the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs website says the decision “contains some promises from the president”. [Joe] Biden to mitigate inhumane decisions made by the presidential administration during the 2020 election campaign [Donald] Trump’s policy of maximum pressure, taking the embargo to unprecedented levels.”

The Cuban government emphasizes that the decision did not interfere with the economic measures taken by the previous administration, such as the ban on Americans traveling to Cuba. It also “does not reverse the arbitrary and fraudulent decision to include Cuba on the list of states supporting terrorism.” For Havana, this is “the main reason for the difficulties Cuba is facing” and is keeping the country from trading and financial transactions with most of the world.

Rodriguez, however, highlights Cuba’s willingness to “have a respectful and equitable dialogue with the US government.”

Policy Review Promise

Washington’s announcement is the result of a revision of policy towards Havana promised by President Joe Biden. The decision began to take shape after the historic protests that rocked Cuba in July last year.

“With these measures, we aim to support the aspirations for freedom and liberty. [oferecer] There are more economic opportunities for Cubans to lead successful lives at home, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

A senior US official, who did not want to be named, considered the announcement to be coincidental after Mexico threatened to boycott the next Summit of the Americas meeting after Cuba announced that it was excluded from the preparations: It has not been sent yet, so there is no decision on it. These policy measures have been working for a long time and are considered completely isolated from conversation about who attends the summit and who does not.”

The Biden administration has announced that it will relaunch the program that allows US citizens or residents, suspended since 2017, to meet with Cuban family members in the US through regular immigration channels. He also stated that he will increase the processing capacity of visa applications in Havana.

The announcement also removes the $1,000 quarterly family remittance limit for the sender-receiver pair and authorizes remittances from “non-family” donations to support “independent Cuban entrepreneurs.” However, the State Department stated that these financial flows should not “enrich” individuals or organizations that violate human rights.

The Biden administration will also increase the number of flights between the USA and the island, allowing travel to cities outside of Havana. It will also allow certain group tours that are currently prohibited. However, it has clarified that individual travel will not be reactivated.

“The administration’s policy towards Cuba continues to focus on supporting the Cuban people, including human rights and their political and economic well-being,” Price said. “We continue to demand that the Cuban government immediately release political prisoners, respect the fundamental freedoms of the Cuban people, and allow the Cuban people to determine their own future,” he said.

Republicans and Democrats Protest

During his tenure, Trump strengthened the US economic embargo on Cuba since 1962 and reversed the nomination backed by his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama (2009-2017). Biden, Obama’s former vice president, supported many of the former Republican president’s decisions, surprising many experts on the subject.

The move was heavily criticized by conservative American politicians, but also by some progressives. Such is the case for Democratic Senator Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Today’s announcement risks sending the wrong message to the wrong people at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons,” he said.

Menéndez warned that Miguel Díaz-Canel’s government “continues its relentless persecution of countless Cubans” who participated in the July protests. He also denied that increased travel to Cuba would “produce democracy” on the island under a one-party communist regime since the Fidel Castro-led revolution in 1959.

(With information from AFP)