Cuba terms U.S. announcement of de-escalation "limited step"

HAVANA, May 17 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the U.S. announcement of the de-escalation of Trump-era restrictions on the island was "one limited step in the right direction."

The measures announced by the U.S. government are "positive, but of a very limited scope," regarding the granting of visas, regular migration, flights to Cuban provinces, remittances and adjustments to the regulations governing transactions with the non-state sector, the ministry said in a statement.

They are "in no way modify the blockade or the main measures of economic siege adopted by Trump, such as the lists of Cuban entities subject to additional coercive measures; nor do they eliminate travelling restrictions for the U.S. citizens," the ministry noted.

"The government of Cuba reiterates its willingness to establish a respectful dialogue, on an equal footing, with the government of the United States, based on the UN Charter, without any interference in the internal affairs of states and with full respect for independence and sovereignty," it added.

Cuba and the United States re-established full diplomatic relations for the first time in 54 years under the administration of Barack Obama in 2015.

The embargo on Cuba was tightened by former U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which banned U.S. flights to Cuban cities except for Havana, barred U.S. cruise ships and yachts from visiting the Caribbean nation, and limited remittances that Cuban-Americans send to their families on the island.