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Embassy of Cuba, Washington, D.C.
Cuban diplomatic mission in the capital of the United States

The Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of Cuba to the United States of America. It is located at 2630 16th Street Northwest, in the Meridian Hill neighborhood. The building was originally constructed in 1917 as the Cuban embassy, and served in that capacity until the United States severed relations with Cuba in 1961. On July 1, 2015, US President Barack Obama announced the formal restoration of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. The building resumed its role as the Cuban Embassy on July 20, 2015.

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History

From 1977 to 2015, the former Cuban Embassy housed the Cuban Interests Section in the United States. The interests section was staffed by Cubans and operated independently, but it was formally a section of the protecting power's embassy. From 1977 to 1991, it operated as the Cuba Interests Section of the Czechoslovak Embassy to the United States. In 1991, the post-Communist government of Czechoslovakia refused to continue its sponsorship of Cuba. From 1991 to 2015, the Cuban Interests Section operated under the Swiss Embassy,6 until diplomatic relations were re-established and the building resumed its role as the Cuban embassy.

On May 19, 1979, Omega 7 detonated a bomb in the building,7 which did more damage to the Lithuanian legation next door.8

On April 30, 2020, a gunman opened fire at the building with an AK-47 style rifle. No one was injured, and the gunman, a 42-year-old man from Aubrey, Texas, was arrested.9 Though the gunman's motivation was not officially known, a police report called it a "suspected hate crime".10

Two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the embassy in September 2023, causing no injuries or significant damage.11

List of representatives

NameTitleCredentials presentedHead of State
16 June 1902: Legation opened
Gonzalo de QuesadaEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister PlenipotentiaryJune 16, 1902Tomás Estrada Palma
General Carlos Garcia VelezApril 9, 1909José Miguel Gómez
Dr. Francisco Carrera JustizApril 8, 1910
Antonio Martin-RiveroApril 11, 1911
Dr. Pablo DesvernineJune 17, 1913Mario García Menocal
Dr. Carlos Manuel de Cespedes y QuesadaJuly 22, 1914
13 December 1923: Legation raised to Embassy
Cosme de la Torriente y PerazaAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryDecember 13, 1923Alfredo Zayas y Alfonso
Rafael Sanchez-AballiDecember 3, 1925Gerardo Machado
Orestes FerraraDecember 21, 1926
Oscar B. CintasNovember 4, 1932
Dr. Jose T. BaronChargé d'Affaires (a.i.)August 10, 1933
Dr. Manuel Marquez SterlingAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryJanuary 31, 1934Carlos Mendieta
Dr. Jose T. BaronChargé d'Affaires (a.i.)December 10, 1934
Dr. Guillermo Patterson de JaureguiAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryFebruary 6, 1935
Dr. Pedro Martinez FragaMarch 9, 1937Federico Laredo Brú
Dr. Jose T. BaronChargé d'Affaires (a.i.)December 10, 1940Fulgencio Batista
Dr. Aurelio Fernandez ConchesoAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryFebruary 5, 1941
Dr. Guillermo BeltDecember 20, 1944Ramón Grau
Dr. Oscar GansApril 12, 1949Carlos Prío Socarrás
Dr. Luis MachadoJuly 11, 1950
10 March — 27 March 1952: Relations severed
Dr. Alberto EspinosaChargé d'Affaires (a.i.)March 27, 1952Fulgencio Batista
Dr. Aurelio Fernandez ConchesoAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiaryApril 28, 1952
Dr. Miguel Ángel de la Campa y CaravedaApril 8, 1955
Nicolas ArroyoApril 9, 1958
Dr. Ernesto DihigoFebruary 25, 1959Manuel Urrutia Lleó
3 January 1961: Relations severed12Interests section opened at the Czechoslovak (1977–1991) and Swiss embassies (1991–2015)
Ramón Sánchez-Parodi MontotoChief of Mission (a.i.)In office: 1977–1989Fidel Castro
José Antonio ArbesúIn office: 1989–1992
Alfonso FragaIn office: 1992–1998
Fernando Remírez de Estenoz BarcielaIn office: 1998–2001
Dagoberto Rodríguez BarreraIn office: 2001–2007
Jorge BolañosIn office: 2007–2012
José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez13In office: 2012–2015Raúl Castro
20 July 2015: Relations resumed
José Ramón Cabañas RodríguezAmbassador Extraordinary and PlenipotentiarySeptember 17, 2015In office: 2015–2020Raúl Castro
Lianys Torres Rivera2020–presentMiguel Díaz-Canel

Note

See also

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References

  1. AfroCuba Web http://afrocubaweb.com/cubaseccion.htm ↩

  2. Marshall, Serena; Stracqualursi, Veronica (July 1, 2015). "Take a Look Inside the Cuban Embassy That Will Reopen in the US". ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/inside-cuban-embassy-reopen-us/story?id=32165265 ↩

  3. Montgomery, David (June 10, 2015). "Ready to raise the flag over the Cuban 'Embassy'…but when?". The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/06/10/ready-to-raise-the-flag-over-the-cuban-embassy-but-when/ ↩

  4. Davis, Julie Hirschfeld (July 1, 2015). "Announcing Cuba Embassy Deal, Obama Declares 'New Chapter'". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/02/us/us-cuba-restoring-diplomatic-ties-and-reopening-embassies.html ↩

  5. Spetalnik, Matt (July 20, 2015). "Cuba opens Washington embassy, urges end to embargo". Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa-idUSKCN0PU07N20150720 ↩

  6. Krauss, Clifford (February 12, 1991). "Swiss to Sponsor Cuba's Diplomats". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/12/world/swiss-to-sponsor-cuba-s-diplomats.html ↩

  7. Hewitt, Christopher (2005). Political Violence and Terrorism in Modern America: A Chronology. Praeger Security International Series. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 121. ISBN 9780313334184. 9780313334184 ↩

  8. Jonušauskas, Laurynas (2003). Likimo vedami: Lietuvos diplomatinės tarnybos egzilyje veikla 1940–1991 (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Lietuvos gyventojų genocido ir rezistencijos tyrimo centras. pp. 303–304. ISBN 9986-757-56-8. 9986-757-56-8 ↩

  9. Farzan, Antonia Noori; Flynn, Meagan (April 30, 2020). "Suspect in custody after targeting Cuban Embassy in shooting, police say". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2020. /wiki/Antonia_Noori_Farzan ↩

  10. Balsamo, Michael (April 30, 2020). "Police: Shooting at Cuban Embassy is 'suspected hate crime'". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 17, 2020. https://apnews.com/8591f583057f48d26a236b4c2efb8959 ↩

  11. "Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC attacked with Molotov cocktails". www.aljazeera.com. September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/26/cuban-embassy-in-washington-dc-attacked-with-molotov-cocktails ↩

  12. The U.S. and Cuba did not have bilateral diplomatic relations between 1961 and 2015. During this period, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Cuba operated under the auspices of the Embassy of Switzerland. /wiki/United_States_Interests_Section_in_Havana ↩

  13. Luxner, Larry (November 2012). "Well-Wishers Host Cocktail Party for Retiring Cuban Diplomat". The Washington Diplomat. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20180220152636/http://washdiplomat.com/DPouch/2012/November/story1cuba.html ↩