After a historic day, expectations focus on how Havana and Washington will implement the next stage to overcome half a century of disagreements.

On Monday, the two countries reestablished relations, broken by the White House in 1961, and reopened their diplomatic venues, whose status was upgraded from interests sections under Switzerland's representation to embassies.

Another important event was the meeting between Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez and US Secretary of State John Kerry during the first visit of a Cuban foreign minister to the Department of State since 1958.

The top officials dealt with issues like security, the environment, the international situation, human rights and human trafficking, among others, a clear sign of their willingness to discuss concerns and identify areas of cooperation.

According to Rodriguez, the recent bilateral developments endorse the decision by Cuba and the United States to improve relations, despite their differences.

We can expand dialogue and work on bilateral cooperation, we see conditions to that, Rodriguez told a news conference after the historic meeting, the second encounter between the two officials. The first one took place Panama in April, during the 7th Summit of the Americas.

The Cuban foreign minister repeated the aspects that his country considers fundamental to normalize relations, like the lifting of the economic, commercial and financial blockade, the return of the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo Naval Base and respect for Cuba's sovereignty.

They are not conditions to talk, but to do so with respect for issues of interest, he noted. Kerry also agreed that the reestablishment of relations marks the beginning of a new period to leave behind decades of hostility and of a policy against Cuba that has not succeeded in its effort to isolate Cuba and make it yield, a failure admitted by Washington.

We are determined to live with good neighbors on the basis of mutual respect, and we want that all citizens from the two nations see the future with hope, Kerry underlined.

The head of US diplomacy recalled the existing differences, but also the will to work in a constructive manner, "for which the United States will do its part".

SUPPORT IN THE TWO COUNTRIES

In conversations with representatives of Cuban and US societies who attended the ceremony to reestablish diplomatic ties officially here, Prensa Latina verified their support for the rapprochement announced by Presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama on December 17, 2014.

US politicians, experts, business people and activists called to take advantage of the favorable situation that has been created to boost normalization and prevent to return to the past.

There are many things to talk about now between the two peoples to advance together to better times, waiting 54 years was too much, said the US actor and activist Danny Glover.

Ex Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts William Delahunt (1997-2011) pointed out that the two countries do not have another path ahead but to reach the end, good relations.

For his part, the analyst and researcher Philip Peters favored the boost to comprehensive ties between the two countries, "an effective way to prevent that we return to the past."

On Cuba's side, prominent figures like Havana Historian Eusebio Leal, singer songwriter Silvio Rodriguez, artist Kcho, the ex diplomats Ricardo Alarcon and Ramon Sanchez Parodi, Parliament Vice President Ana Maria Mari Machado and the Moncada Garrison attacker and former lawmaker Ramon Pez Ferro celebrated the steps taken so far.

According to Leal, at the level of the two governments, there is a will to deal with more complex and deeper matters in the bilateral scenario to achieve normalization.

In that regard, Alarcon defended the importance of dealing with issues under equal conditions, a necessary stance to discuss the thick file the two governments have to discuss.

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