WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 (UPI) — The United States and Cuba have agreed to reopen direct mail services between the two countries for the first time since 1963.
The U.S. Department of State released a statement Thursday announcing the agreement reached during discussions in Miami, Fla., saying a preliminary postal operation will be implemented “in the coming weeks.”
Instead of routing mail between the countries through a third country, as has been the custom, the reinstated direct service will utilize mail flights several times a week.
In its official statement, Cuba explained the two countries are still negotiating over “technical, operational and safety aspects,” of the service before making permanent decisions, Washington Post reports.
In July, Cuba and the United States restored full diplomatic relations, reopening respective embassies in both Havana and Washington. The move came after President Barack Obama announced a plan to normalize relations for the first time since the early 1960s.
“Isolation has not worked,” Obama said in his December 2014 announcement at the White House. “It’s time for a new approach.”
