President Obama spoke to Cuban President Raul Castro by phone Friday, the same day U.S. officials released new regulations allowing more American businesses and citizens access to Cuba, according to the White House.
While it was unclear whether Obama or Castro initiated the call, the two discussed the “process of normalization between the two countries” in advance of Pope Francis’ upcoming visits to Cuba and the United States.
The White House also didn’t say whether the two leaders discussed the new Obama administration regulations, publicly released Friday, and whether or not the Castro government took exception to any of them.
The two presidents commended the role that Pope Francis has played in advancing relations between our countries, according to a White House read-out of the phone call.
Obama, the White House said, underscored the importance of the United States and Cuba re-establishing diplomatic ties and the reopening of embassies in our respective countries, and the two leaders noted the cooperation between the U.S. and Cuban medical professional during the U.S. naval ship Comfort’s visit to Haiti this week.
“In addition, the leaders discussed steps that the United States and Cuba can take, together and individually, to advance bilateral cooperation, even as we will continue to have differences on important issues and will address those candidly,” the White House said.
