U.S. Department of State
Press Statement
Roberta S. Jacobson
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
Havana, Cuba
January 22, 2015
Extended Bilateral Session with Cuba
Today, January 22, 2015, U.S. and Cuban officials met in Havana to discuss issues of mutual interest to the United States and Cuba. The Cuban delegation was led by the Foreign Ministry’s Director General for U.S. Affairs, Josefina Vidal Ferreiro. I led the delegation for the United States.
This extended bilateral session has included constructive and encouraging dialogue. We discussed cooperation on important issues of mutual interest such as trafficking in persons, law enforcement, environmental protection, telecommunications and global health security, including coordinated responses to oil spills and Ebola. As a central element of our policy, we pressed the Cuban government for improved human rights conditions, including freedom of expression and assembly.
We look forward to continuing our bilateral dialogue on these important issues, including those on which significant differences remain, as our nations build on the success of these talks going forward.
