Cuba Repeats Willingness to Guarantee Safe and Orderly Trips to US

In a statement, Cuba’s Foreign Ministry (MINREX) rejected Washington’s decision to reduce the valid period of the B2 visa from five years to three months and to a single entry for Cuban citizens, on the pretext of reciprocity for the terms of the visas granted by Cuba to US travelers.

In that regard, the Foreign Ministry pointed out that the measure is an additional obstacle to the exercise of Cuban citizens’ right to visit their relatives in the United States.

It underlined that this new measure complements the closure of services in the US Consulate in Havana and the unjustified interruption of visa procedures for Cubans, forcing them to travel to third countries without any guarantees of a favorable result in that regard.

The new obstacle also contributes to the non-compliance with the visa quota established in the Migration Agreements between the two countries, according to Cuban authorities.

The MINREX noted that the decision increases the costs of family and exchange travels in several sectors.

The Foreign Ministry denied that Washington’s decision was made on the basis of a criterion of reciprocity, because Cuba facilitates visa procedures to US citizens, whose visas are granted immediately in any country of the world, even in the United States.

‘(…) If it really wants to apply reciprocity, it should immediately open its Consulate in Havana, resume the visa procedures that it interrupted in an arbitrary and unjustified manner more than a year ago, and eliminate the ban on US citizens to travel to Cuba freely,’ the MINREX stressed. (Taken from Prensa Latina)