"History will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him," he said in a statement. The United States restored diplomatic ties with Cuba in July 2015 and re-opened its embassy in Havana a month later in a historic rapprochement ending more than a half-century of Cold War enmity with the communist island. Obama made a landmark visit to Cuba in March. "During my presidency, we have worked hard to put the past behind us, pursuing a future in which the relationship between our two countries is defined not by our differences but by the many things that we share as neighbors and friends," Obama said.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 26, 2016 16:06 UTC