Cuban and US representatives to meet for biannual migration talks restarted in July after two-year hiatus over Alan Gross case

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Cuban and US representatives are set to meet in Havana for a new round of restarted migration talks on Thursday, a signal that the longtime cold war foes' recent willingness to engage in areas of mutual interest.

The meetings are supposed to be held every six months to discuss the implementation of accords reached in the 1990s under which the US agreed to issue 20,000 immigration visas a year to Cubans. But the latest round of talks are unlikely to herald a thaw in relations.

"Under the accords, both governments pledge to promote safe, legal and orderly migration between Cuba and the United States. The agenda for the talks reflects longstanding US priorities on Cuba migration issues," the US state department said . "This does not represent any change in policy towards Cuba."

Cuban authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Past talks have also been used as an opportunity to broach other topics – a rare chance for dialogue between two countries that have not had full diplomatic ties since the Cuban revolution in 1959.

The migration talks – along with separate discussions aimed restarting direct postal service between Cuba and America – were suspended between 2011 and July last year over the arrest of the US government subcontractor Alan Gross in Cuba in 2009. Multiple meetings on mail service were also held last year.

Gross was accused of acting against Cuba's sovereignty and sentenced to 15 years. He maintains that his work, setting up hard-to-detect internet networks for the island's Jewish population, posed no threat to the state.

His imprisonment remains a point of contention between Havana and Washington. But diplomats say privately that the Obama administration decided early last year not to let the case stand in the way of all engagement.

Representatives of the two governments met multiple times last year, and diplomats on both sides say they enjoy cordial personal relationships with their counterparts.

The most recent discussions in Havana, in September, focused on mail delivery. The US state department described the talks as "fruitful" and Cuba called them "respectful", but no deal has yet been reached.

One issue that may come up this week is Cuba's recent banking woes at its diplomatic missions in Washington and at the UN. M&T Bank, which had processed Cuba's diplomatic banking in the US, moved to sever the relationship in late 2013, prompting Havana to suspend nearly all consular services in the country.

The bank offered an extension and Cuba resumed visa processing and other services 9 December. But Havana has yet to find a permanent US banking partner, and is only guaranteeing consular services through to 17 February.

The state department says it has been working with Cuba to try to resolve the matter.