Obama calls Castro ahead of pope's Cuba visit

WASHINGTON

President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro discussed the normalization process between the two countries during a phone call Friday, the White House said in a statement.

"The president underscored the importance of the United States and Cuba re-establishing diplomatic ties and the re-opening of embassies in our respective countries," according to a White House statement.

The call took place hours ahead of Pope Francis' visit to the communist island nation on Saturday before he heads to Washington, Philadelphia and New York, where he will address the UN General Assembly.

The two leaders acknowledged the role Francis has played in advancing relations between the two countries, according to the statement, and discussed steps both countries can take to advance bilateral cooperation, despite serious differences on issues such as human rights.

Cuba appointed its ambassador to Washington on Thursday after a more than 50-year suspension of diplomatic relations between Havana and Washington.

The U.S. has yet to appoint its ambassador to Cuba but opened its embassy there last month.

Earlier Friday, the U.S. announced additional easing of economic restrictions on Cuba, including expanding communication services, allowing U.S. companies to open businesses on the island and allowing financial transactions in the communist nation.