Obama to take Cuba off US terror list

Baku. 15 April. REPORT.AZ/ President Barack Obama will remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, the White House says.

The move comes amid a normalisation of relations between the US and Cuba.

The Caribbean country's presence on the list alongside Syria, Iran and Sudan was a sticking point for Cuba during talks to reopen embassies.

Report informs referring the information given by the BBC, Republican Senator Marco Rubio condemned the White House decision, saying Cuba remained a state sponsor of terrorism.

"They harbour fugitives of American justice, including someone who killed a police officer in New Jersey over 30 years ago," said Mr Rubio, a Cuban American who launched his 2016 presidential campaign on Monday.

"It's also the country that's helping North Korea evade weapons sanctions by the United Nations."

Mr Obama announced the historic US thaw with Cuba in December but the US trade embargo against the country remains, and may only be ended by Congress.