Havana, cuba.-The US blockade against Cuba hinders the progress of the process of normalization of bilateral ties, the director general of the United States division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Josefina Vidal, said.

In an interview with the Granma newspaper, the official said that a year after the start of the rapprochement process, the deterrent and punitive components of the blockade and its extraterritorial reach, still have negative consequences for the island.

‘Therefore, lifting these unilateral measures imposed by Washington is a high priority for Cuba and will be essential in order to resolve this issue and to move towards the normalization of relations’, Josefina Vidal said.

In the last 19 months of bilateral contacts and 12 of diplomatic relations, positive results have been achieved in issues of importance and interest for Cuba regarding the political and diplomatic sphere, cooperation and also the dialogues of bilateral and multilateral interest, the official said.

However, according to Josefina Vidal, this progress is insufficient, because the restrictions on US exports still remain.

‘So far, we have been unable to normalize the banking transactions’, she said, and added that this could be solved throught executive decisions taken by President Barack Obama.

Josefina Vidal said that Cuba will persist in developing friendly relations and cooperation ties with the United States based on the principles and purposes of the United Nations Charter and International Law.

The official added that although the main claim is focused on the blockade, Cuba has other claims that are essential on its agenda toward normalization, such as the return of the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo Naval Base, the U.S. exclusive immigration policies towards Cubans, the subversive programs and the illegal radio and TV broadcasts.

‘In order to achieve normal relations, the United States would also have to give up to their historial claim to decide and control the destiny of Cuba,’ Josefina Vidal said.

‘The world recognizes what has been done, but it is also aware that much more can be done, that is why every year the world expresses its rejection to the blockade at the UN,’ she said.