US Secretary of State John Kerry meets Cuban foreign minister

Panama, April 10: A high level meeting held between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on the sidelines of a summit here, BBC reported on Friday.

It was the first meeting held between two nations on Thursday since a historic opening by President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro that was announced on December 17, 2014.

The last high-level meeting between US and Cuba took place in 1959, when Fidel Castro met then Vice-President Richard Nixon. Diplomatic relations were badly hit between both the countries in 1961.

On December 17, 2014, Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro announced that the US and Cuba would restore diplomatic ties. The change in the countries' relations, initially marked by a prisoner swap and Havana's release of a jailed US contractor.

In a latest development, the US State Department has recommended that President Barack Obama remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. Removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism could lead to the easing of financial restrictions on Cuba's access to loans and aid and re-opening of embassies.

US President Obama and Cuban leader Raúl Castro are also expected to meet sometime Friday or Saturday at Summit of the Americas, which for the first time ever will be attended by the leaders of both the countries.

OneIndia News