Obama, Castro meet at UN

NEW YORK

President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro met Tuesday to discuss further steps to expanding relations between the two countries, according to a White House statement.

At a meeting held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings. the two leaders reviewed recent advances in relations between the Cold War foes.

"The two presidents discussed the recent successful visit of Pope Francis to both countries," said the White House statement. "President Obama highlighted U.S. regulatory changes that will allow more Americans to travel to and do business with Cuba, while helping to improve the lives of the Cuban people."

Obama also underscored that continued reforms in Cuba would increase the effects of the U.S. loosening restrictions on the island.

He also highlighted support for human rights in Cuba, according to the statement.

Obama and Castro first spoke in December after the decades-long adversaries agreed to work to restore diplomatic relations.

The two leaders held a face-to-face meeting in April during a Summit of the Americas conference in Panama. Since then, the two countries have reopened embassies in each other's capitals, and the U.S. has gradually loosened sanctions on the island.

Earlier this month, Cuba appointed an ambassador to Washington but the White House is yet to name its envoy to Cuba.

While progress has been made, sharp differences remain between the two sides, including the Washington’s criticism of Havana’s human rights record, and Cuba's desire to reclaim Guantanamo Bay, where the U.S. has built a controversial prison to house detainees captured during the war on terror.