WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Treasury’s amendments, which will come into effect on Wednesday, will "further facilitate travel to Cuba for authorized purposes," the statement said. The amendments also permit leasing arrangements, blocked space and code-sharing with Cuban airlines.
Moreover, the US government also authorized "additional travel-related and other transactions" related to professional meetings, disaster preparedness and response projects in the island nation, media and artistic productions as well as information and other informational materials," the statement explained.
The changes to the US sanctions policy is the Treasury Department’s latest attempt to lift the decades-old embargo on Cuba.
Last December, President Barack Obama announced his administration would normalize relations with Cuba. The two countries reopened embassies in their respective capitals in July 2015, after more than 50 years of hostilities and non-engagement. Nevertheless, the United States continues to hold the trade embargo on Cuba as mandated by the US Congress.
