Kerry to raise flag at US embassy in Cuba

Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Cuba on Aug. 14 to raise the flag over the newly opened U.S. Embassy, according to CNN.

The U.S. and Cuba restored full diplomatic relations on Monday, opening embassies that have been shuttered since 1961.

Kerry’s trip to Havana will be the first for a U.S. secretary of State since 1945, CNN reported.

The Cuban flag was raised over the country’s embassy in Washington on Monday, but the U.S. is waiting for Kerry to visit Cuba to put up the flag there.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez attended the flag-raising ceremony in Washington on Monday. He was also to scheduled to meet with Kerry, in the first meeting between the countries’ top two diplomats on U.S. soil since the 1959 Cuban revolution.

Both the U.S. and Cuba have had diplomatic presences, known as interests sections, in each others’ countries since the 1970s.

Upgrading to an embassy will allow U.S. diplomats greater freedom of movement in Cuba and better access to Cuban civilians.