The President has sent a letter to a 76-year-old woman in Cuba. This marks the first time correspondence has been sent by direct mail to the island nation in over 50 years.
March 20, Obama will be the first President to visit the country in 90 years. In December of 2014, Obama vowed to abandon Cold War relations with Cuba and to normalize U.S. relations with the small country off the coast of Florida.
Direct mail between the U.S. and Cuba had been suspended since the height of the Cold War. During that time, mail had to be routed through other countries (usually Mexico or Canada). In addition to re-opening mail routes, the U.S. is reopening its embassy in Havana. They are also working on lifting the travel ban and allowing Americans to visit the country. Cuba is also now allowed to use American dollars in their transactions.
Yarza wrote a letter urging him to come visit her and have a cup of Cuban coffee together.
Here is the President’s response:
“Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate your support over the years, and I hope this note — which will reach you by way of the first direct mail flight between the United States and Cuba in over 50 years — serves as a reminder of a bright new chapter in the relationship between our two nations.
“I am looking forward to visiting Havana to foster this relationship and highlight our shared values — and, hopefully, I will have time to enjoy a cup of Cuban coffee.”
The flight taking the mail to Cuba took off yesterday. The letter writer, Ileana Yarza, was very pleased to hear that the President is coming to visit them.
Here is one of Obama’s advisers, Ben Rhodes, talking about the President’s visit.
Hopefully, this letter and the President’s trip to Cuba will help restore relations with the country.
Featured image by LBJ Foundation via flickr.com, available under Creative Commons 2.0 license.
