SANTIAGO, March 16:(Xinhua) U.S. President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to Cuba marks a "positive" step to crystallize U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba beyond his administration, said a renowned Latin American political observer.
Angel Flisfisch, director of the Chilean branch of the Latin American Social Sciences Institute (known by its Spanish acronym FLACSO-Chile), believes Obama's progressive policies will be a boon for Cuba.
"The U.S. president's visit to Cuba is positive and can in the medium term project a more active engagement policy toward the island and Latin America," Flisfisch told Xinhua in an interview.
Obama, expected in Cuba on March 21-22 for a state visit, and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro jointly announced in December 2014 they had agreed to restore diplomatic ties as a first step to normalizing the bilateral relationship after half a century of Cold War-era antagonism.
"Restoring diplomatic ties (between Cuba and the United States) was of utmost importance ... because it eliminated from the Latin American scene a cause of tension in hemispheric relations," said Flisfisch.
The two sides have been meeting regularly since the historic announcement, reestablishing contact between their two countries via post, air connections and telecommunications.
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