On Sunday afternoon, the Obama family made history when they landed in Cuba after decades of tension between the Caribbean nation and the United States.
Joined by many U.S. lawmakers and officials, President Obama is the first sitting president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. His three-day stay in the country comes after his recent attempts to ease the tension between the two nations, having announced his plans to restore relations in late December of last year.
Once Air Force One landed in Havana, Obama took to Twitter to let civilians know of his arrival.
¿Que bolá Cuba? Just touched down here, looking forward to meeting and hearing directly from the Cuban people.
— President Obama (@POTUS) March 20, 2016
Many greeted the president with the utmost respect, shouting things like “U.S.A.” and “Welcome to Cuba! We like you!” as he and his entourage made their way through the city, according to The New York Times.
“It’s a historic opportunity to engage directly with the Cuban people and to forge new agreements and commercial deals,” he said during his stop at the United States Embassy after his arrival, according to the Times. “and build new ties between our two peoples, and for me to lay out my vision for a future that’s brighter than our past.”
Though the Cuban government made clear of its plans to respect the president during his stay, many members of the Ladies in White group were arrested during an anti-regime protest just hours before the American president made his descent into the capital. Obama is scheduled to meet with some of these women, BuzzFeed News reports.
President Obama met with Cuban President Raul Castro to discuss trade and political reform. After the meeting, they answered questions from reporters. Obama said the Cuban embargo would end and that the two countries would work together on human rights, according to CNN.
“We have decades of profound differences,” Obama said. “I told President Castro that we are moving forward and not looking backwards.”