The Air Force One landed in Cuba today at 4:16 P.m. On board, President Barack Obama prepared himself to make history in his long expected visit to the Cuban island. Cuban authorities approached the plane in the company of their ambassador in Washington, Jose Ramon Cabañas.
The president of the United States greeted the people of the island by Twitter and the social media went crazy. The word “Cuba” was the second most popular trend in the entire world. He did not arrive the island alone. His 2 daughters, wife and mother in law are with him. Also, a big group of delegates, officials and business people also accompany President Obama. The historic visit began with a tour around the old Havana (Havana Vieja) with the Cuban historian, Eusebio Leal, leading the way.
Since Cuba was declared socialist, there have been many conflicts between them and the United States which resulted in a commercial, economic and financial embargo imposed by the North American Country. There is a lot of expectation surrounding the event. But the reunion is being praised all around the world, especially in Latin America where many people including The Colombian President, Juan Manuel Santos, celebrate the visit via Twitter.
Latin America is going through a lot of changes right now. A little more than ten years ago, a socialist movement rose to popularity in many countries in the continent. A new wave of socialist presidents were elected by the people expecting for change and inclusion of the lowest strata of society. But in recent years, left parties have lost a lot of influence and political groups that openly oppose the socialist block are steadily gaining territory. A lot of people in Latin America see this visit as a sign. They say the communist era is coming to an end.
In two days, President Obama and his committee will be engaged in negotiations. A Cuban scientific group already announced an alliance with American corporations to carry on medical research. Both sides will try to get as much as they can from the negotiations.
The most pressing matter for a lot of people in the country is the political stage. The communist party still has a lot of supporters, but the opposition wants a quick change of pace. However, President Obama said that he was not expecting a lot of changes to happen soon. The economic blockade is not going to be lifted abruptly, but after the visit, the public opinion expects a lot of new commercial agreements both in the public and private sector.
Source: The New York Times