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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Embassy Of Cuba, Washington, D.C.
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.

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, 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, which did more damage to the Lithuanian legation next door.

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. Though the gunman's motivation was not officially known, a police report called it a "suspected hate crime".

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

Designations since 1953

Designation Period Title of representative
Embassy 1923 – January 3, 1961 Ambassador
Interests Section September 1, 1977 – July 20, 2015 Chief of Mission ad interim
Embassy July 20, 2015 – present Ambassador

Note

  1. ^ 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.

Plenipotentiary representatives

Main article: List of Cuban ambassadors to the United States

Chiefs of Cuban Interests Section: 1977–2015

Ambassadors: 2015–present

See also