WASHINGTON
Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Monday, according to the State Department.
The State Department meeting coincides with Havana’s opening of its embassy in Washington – a significant milestone in the re-establishment of full diplomatic ties between the Cold War rivals.
The U.S. is expected to open its embassy in Cuba next month, and Kerry is widely expected to partake in the opening.
The Cuban flag will be hung in the State Department lobby early Monday morning. It will be placed in alphabetical order with more than 150 others.
The countries were expected to reopen embassies earlier this year, but several issues, including the free movement of diplomatic staff, held up negotiations.
Kirby said that while Cuba is "not a restriction-free environment", the U.S. is confident that its staff "will be able to do the job that they need to do."
The U.S. and Cuba severed ties more than 50 years ago in 1961.
