Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement on the announcement that Cuba and the United States have reached an agreement to reopen the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the United States Embassy in Havana.

“The restoration of diplomatic relations with the Nation of Cuba offers us hope of a future defined not by our past mistakes but by our common interests, aspirations and a shared commitment to work with each other on behalf of all the people of North America. The re-opening of embassies in Washington, D.C., and Havana demonstrates President Obama’s commitment to building that future and to collaborating with Cuba on critical issues such as family reunification, human rights, the interdiction of narcotics, and investment in Cuba. I believe that, as full diplomatic relations are restored, both Cubans and Americans will have the opportunity to dispel myths that developed in the more than fifty years in which our nations were divided by a Cold War policy that separated families, restricted economic development, and had ultimately run its course of usefulness and undermined any efforts to nurture and support democratic values. Our relationship, based on shared interests and mutual respect, will allow the United States and Cuba to transcend those  problems in the Twenty-First Century.”

Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives, a member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, as well as the Committee on Ethics and the Committee of Small Business. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.