WASHINGTON – The United States and Cuba held their highest-level diplomatic talks in four years after a severe disruption in ties.
The discussions in Washington between senior State Department officials and Cuba´s deputy foreign minister focused on migration, with the US side eager to rein in a growing number of Cubans trying to enter the United States illegally, AP reported.
The State Department said the talks covered areas of successful cooperation on migration but also identified obstacles to ensuring safe, orderly and legal migration.
The meeting took place just a day after US border authorities reported that the number of Cubans seeking entry had doubled from February to March to 32,500 and is now five times the number it was in October.
“We have seen, and this I think underscores the imperative of undertaking these talks, we´ve seen a significant increase in irregular migration on a part of Cuban migrants coming to the United States,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
“Engaging in these talks underscores our commitment to pursuing constructive discussions with the government of Cuba where appropriate to advance US interests,” the department said in statement.
