Turkey welcomes Cuba-US rapprochement

The Turkish capital has voiced its satisfaction with the announcement of rapprochement between Cuba and the United States, which have recently taken steps to bury half a century of enmity.

"Turkey welcomes the will that has been displayed by the two countries to normalize relations between the U.S. and Cuba after more than half of a century," the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement released on Dec. 19.

"Turkey congratulates all parties who have contributed to this process and wishes that this rapprochement will yield concrete results in all fields in favor of the American and Cuban peoples," the ministry concluded in the brief statement.

The dramatic breakthrough in relations between the Cold War foes came after Havana released jailed U.S. contractor Alan Gross, as well as a Cuban who had spied for Washington and had been held for 20 years - one of the most important U.S. agents in Cuba.

The United States in turn released three Cuban spies, and U.S. President Barack Obama said he had instructed the Department of State to re-examine its designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.