President Obama used his weekly address on Saturday to tout his upcoming trip to Cuba, saying it will “advance American interests and values” and “help the Cuban people improve their lives.”
Obama said that his bombshell deal last year normalizing relations with Cuba will spread democracy and freedom. For the first time since Fidel Castro led an armed revolution to take over the island over 50 years ago and resulted in the creation of a Communist nation, Cubans have hope of a more liberal country, Obama said.
“More Americans are visiting Cuba than at any time in the last 50 years — Cuban-American families, American students, teachers, humanitarian volunteers, faith communities — all forging new ties and friendships that are bringing our countries closer,” said Obama.
Since the president’s announcement last year that the administration would normalize relations with Cuba, embassies have reopened in Washington, D.C., and Havana.
American businesses are beginning to engage with Cubans, Obama said. “In Cuba today, for the first time in a half century, there is hope for a different future, especially among Cuba’s young people who have such extraordinary talent and potential just waiting to be unleashed,” he said.
Obama said his mid-March visit to Cuba will include meetings with promient Cubans and entrepreneurs, with whom he hopes to discuss how they can start new ventures and access tthe Internet. He said he will also meet with Cuban President Raul Castro, though a meeting with his brother Fidel is not sceduled.
“I’ll reaffirm that the United States will continue to stand up for universal values like freedom of speech and assembly and religion,” Obama said of his sit-down with Castro.
The issue has been a sticking point for many of Obama’s Cuban policy critics, including Republican presidential candidates of Cuban-decent, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Rubio, a senator from Florida, argued this week that the U.S. should stay out of Cuba until the communist nation is “free.”
Obama says an open-door strategy is the most effective way to increase freedom in Cuba.
“We’re still in the early days of our new relationship with the Cuban people,” Obama said. “This transformation will take time. But I’m focused on the future, and I’m confident that my visit will advance the goals that guide us — promoting American interests and values and a better future for the Cuban people, a future of more freedom and more opportunity.”
