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A round of political talks between Cuba and EU will mark the beginning of other meetings that could conclude by the end of the year, with the purpose of strengthening relations between the two parties.
The visit comes as Cuba and the European Union are holding bilateral talks to reset their relationship on new grounds of respect and harmonious political dialogue. Also, European business sectors have expressed their interest in taking part in Cuba’s economic reshaping, which was given a new boost by improving relations between Cuba and the United States.
Publish by European Commission’s Audiovisual Services
Pope Francis will travel to Cuba in September ahead of his visit to the US, the Vatican has announced.
In a statement, it said the Pope would be in Cuba on “the invitation from the civil authorities and bishops of Cuba”.
The pontiff is credited with helping bring about last December’s diplomatic thaw after the decades-old enmity between communist Cuba and the US.
The US imposed had imposed a trade embargo soon after Cuba’s 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro.
The 78-year-old Argentine pontiff will be the third pope to travel to Cuba, following visits there by John Paul II in 1998 and Benedict XVI in 2012.
“The presence of His Holiness in Cuba will be memorable,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said.
“He will receive the warmest hospitality of the Cuban people.”
The Roman Catholic Church has maintained relations with Havana since the revolution.
It also organised a series of secret diplomatic meetings to broker the US-Cuban rapprochement. The talks directly involved Pope Francis.
The pontiff himself is no stranger to Cuba – he was there during Pope Benedict XVI’s visit, the BBC’s David Willey in Rome reports. He is also the author of a book on Cuba.
After Cuba, he will continue his journey to Washington, New York and Philadelphia.
He is expected to address a joint session of US Congress and will also speak at the UN.
Publish by BBC
Andrew Cuomo has become the first US state governor to visit Cuba since a thaw in relations began last year
Mr Cuomo led a delegation of business executives from New York state to the island where he held talks with the Cuban minister for external trade.
He said that the isolation of Cuba had not worked.
Relations between the US and Cuba have improved since the announcement in December that the two countries would work towards restoring diplomatic ties.
US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, met earlier this month at a regional summit in Panama.
Publish by BBC
World Travel Awards has officially begun the countdown to the Latin America Gala Ceremony 2015 during a launch event at the Vitrina Turística de ANATO 2015 in Bogotá
The Hotel Nacional de Cuba has 11 nominations and 9 Awards so far and once again it is between the World Travel Awards 2015 nominees.
This year 12 Cuban hotels were nominated
World Travel Awards serves to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global travel and tourism industry.
The Vatican says Pope Francis is considering adding a stop in Cuba to his U.S. trip in September.
Francis has been credited with having helped the United States and Cuba reach their historic rapprochement by writing to the leaders of both countries and having the Vatican host their delegations for the final negotiations.
The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Friday that Francis “is considering the idea of a Cuba leg” but that discussions with Cuba are at an early stage. He said it’s too early to say that a decision has been taken or that there is an operational plan under way.
Publish by The Wall Street Journal
The Brazilian civil aviation regulatory agency (ANAC) has authorized GOL to operate three weekly flights between Sao Paulo and Havana.
Gol, Brazil’s second-largest airline, concentrates its international flights in the Southern Cone but it also serves routes to the Caribbean like- Barbados, Aruba, Trinidad Tobago, and Santo Domingo.