President Barack Obama will be the first sitting president to visit Cuba in over 80 years when he visits the island country next month.
News of the trip was first reported by ABC News, which cited a National Security Council official. The trip was later confirmed by the president himself on Twitter. Obama wrote:
14 months ago, I announced that we would begin normalizing relations with Cuba - and we've already made significant progress.
— President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016
Our flag flies over our Embassy in Havana once again. More Americans are traveling to Cuba than at any time in the last 50 years.
— President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016
Next month, I'll travel to Cuba to advance our progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people.
— President Obama (@POTUS) February 18, 2016
According to The White House, the trip will take place on March 21-22. First Lady Michelle Obama will also join Obama in Havana.
This is the first time that a sitting president has visited Cuba, which lies just 90 miles south of Florida, since President Calvin Coolidge visited in 1928. President Jimmy Carter visited Cuba in 2002 and 2011.
In Dec. 2014, Obama unveiled plans for an open relationship with Cuba after U.S. contractor Alan Gross was released. Since then, the American embassy has re-opened in Havana. As NBC News notes, Secretary of State John Kerry visited Cuba in August, making him the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the country since World War II.
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