HAVANA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cuba on Monday denied holding any conversation with the U.S. government beyond technical contacts on immigration matters, but reiterated the willingness to negotiate.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that his country has always been willing to engage in "serious and responsible" dialogue with various U.S. administrations, including the current one.
He emphasized that such dialogue must be conducted "on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, principles of international law, mutual benefit, without interference in internal affairs, and with full respect for our independence."
Diaz-Canel noted that "Cuba scrupulously complies with" the existing bilateral immigration agreements, adding that "As history has shown, for U.S.-Cuba relations to progress, they must be based on international law rather than on hostility, threats, and economic coercion." ■