For the first time, a Cuban delegation will attend the annual Caribbean regional security conference in Jamaica later this month. Cuba’s decision to attend the three-day conference in Jamaica, which is co-sponsored by the U.S. military’s Southern Command, follows several small forms of military engagement since the normalization of relations in December 2014. The conference … Read more
In an interview with the Associated Press, Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, the commander of Southern Command, suggested that the US may jointly operate the US Naval Base at Guantanamo, Cuba – also know as GTMO – with Cuba. Kelly said he believes the facility remains strategically valuable, a deepwater port in the Caribbean, … Read more
The Cuba Journal is partnering with the University of Idaho Hemingway Festival to award an internship. This year’s seventh annual Hemingway Festival celebrates Ernest Hemingway’s connection to Cuba and the reinvigorated U.S.-Cuba political relationship. It is also the 65th anniversary of the writing of “The Old Man and the Sea.” The Cuba Journal is offering … Read more
Virginia’s Governor, on an official visit to Cuba, indicated today that Virginia’s port authority will become the first US port operator to sign a cooperation agreement with its Cuban counterpart. “We are going to sign an agreement tomorrow between the Port of Mariel and our Port of Virginia which will be a strategic alliance,” Virginia … Read more
JetBlue is applauding the recently-approved civil aviation agreement between the US and Cuba. The company said it would submit its application for new routes to the US Department of Transportation once it had fully reviewed the terms of agreement “has clarity on the process and timing of assigning frequencies to U.S. airlines.” “Interest in Cuba … Read more
Ten Cuban-American business leaders published a full-page advertisement in today’s Miami Herald after a recent trip to Cuba. According to an article in the Miami Herald, the ten business leaders returned from Cuba convinced that stronger ties to the U.S. would help Cubans. The advertisement, “An Open Letter to Our Fellow Cuban-Americans”, says, “We saw … Read more
In broadcast speech today, Castro reflected om advances the two countries have made in the last year when he and US President Obama announced they would work to normalize ties and repair decades of Cold War-era hostilities. In the unscheduled speech, Castro said, “The government of Cuba is fully willing to continue advancing in the … Read more
The United States and Cuba have reached a bilateral agreement to establish scheduled air services between the two countries, the US State Department announced. Scheduled commercial flight service has been suspended for decades. Charter flights have connected the two countries in the interim, with carriers from JetBlue to American Airlines operating the flights. “This arrangement … Read more
According to a report by Reuters, Cuba is near a deal with 15 rich creditor nations of the Paris Club to restructure $16 billion in debt stemming from a 1986 default, with creditors expected to forgive most of the amount owed, diplomats close to the talks said. The parties will meet in Paris later this … Read more
According to a report by Florida International University, StartUp Cuba and FIU have teamed up to offer a summer program designed to foster and support entrepreneurs in Cuba. The six week program program, called InCubando@FIU, will begin in Miami on May 2016. The curriculum will consist of business classes, taught in Spanish, by instructors affiliated … Read more
