US Removes Cuba From State Terrorism List

It's official — the US has removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The latest move towards normalizing relations between the two countries, who have been at odds since the Cold War, came Friday in an announcement from the State Department. Forty-five days after President Barack Obama informed Congress that he planned to take the country off the list, Secretary of State John Kerry officially signed an order to remove Cuba from the terrorism blacklist, according to the Associated Press.

"The 45-day congressional pre-notification period has expired, and the secretary of state has made the final decision to rescind Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, effective today, May 29, 2015," the State Department said in a statement.

"While the United States has significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of Cuba's policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant to the rescission of a state sponsor of terrorism designation," the statement added.

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In December, Obama announced a "new chapter" in relations with Cuba, with the countries agreeing to work towards normalizing diplomatic ties, while also establishing embassies in their respective capitals.

The historic accord between the US and Cuba was hammered out by the US president and his counterpart in Cuba, Raul Castro, following 50 years of severed ties between the countries. After the move was announced, revolutionary leader and longtime former Cuban president Fidel Castro said the decision made by his younger brother, who took control in 2006, was legitimate.

"I don't trust the policy of the United States, nor have I exchanged a word with them, but this does not mean I reject a pacific solution to the conflicts," he wrote in a January statement.

Obama and the younger Castro finally sat down face-to-face in April for the first time, after the agreement was announced. The April 11 meeting, held during the Summit of Americas in Panama City, was also the first high-level meeting between the heads of states of both nations in over 50 years — since the US cut off ties in January 1961. During the meeting, Obama stressed that one of the most pressing tasks remains opening their respective embassies so diplomats can interact on a more regular basis.

While the terrorism designation was a major point of discussion as the countries continue to work towards improving relations, there are still issues being worked out, including US demands to give American diplomats unrestricted access to dissidents in Cuba. Questions over the US embargo with Cuba still loom, with Congressional approval needed to lift the trade ban.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.