"The signing today January 18 of the SAR [search and rescue] Agreement brings to 19 the total number of bilateral instruments concluded between Cuba and the US," Vidal said in a Twitter post.
The signing today January 18 of the SAR Agreement brings to 19 the total number of bilateral instruments concluded btw #Cuba and the #US pic.twitter.com/udy1GPexwh
— Josefina Vidal (@JosefinaVidalF) 18 января 2017 г.
Cuba’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said the agreement, which is legally binding, will strengthen cooperation between the two nations and allow coordination for search and rescue operations in the air or at sea.
Cooperation could include joint exercises, information exchange, expert visits and communications channels, the ministry explained.
In December 2014, President Barack Obama announced the United States would begin to normalize relations with Cuba after more than 50 years of non-engagement. While the two countries reopened embassies in their respective capitals in July 2015, the congressionally-mandated US trade embargo remains in effect.
