President Barack Obama and President Raul Castro shook hands Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly, showing that the thaw in their relationship is still underway. The presidents of the United States and Cuba are continuing their efforts to establish a friendlier relationship between the two countries. Both men wore smiles for the handshake, and Castro even joked that Obama was towering over him in height, according to The New York Times.
Reporters left the room so the two could talk soon after the shake. The White House says the two leaders spoke about Pope Francis, who recently visited both countries.
Diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba were restored this past July. The White House hopes to continue restoring the relationship by lifting the embargo on Cuba that has stood for decades, according to Yahoo! News. Both Cuba and the U.S. have already reopened their respective embassies in each other's countries. Obama spoke about the embargo during his address to the U.N. on Monday.
Some lawmakers do not want to lift the embargo against Cuba because of the country's human rights policy, according to The Associated Press. Before Obama and Castro met in person last April, the leaders of the two countries had not met since 1958.
