Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Monday called for an end to the US economic embargo against Cuba and urged the return of territory used as a US military base at Guantanamo Bay.

Standing next to US Secretary of State John Kerry, Rodriguez said Havana aimed to move forward. But he stressed "totally lifting the blockade, the return of the illegally occupied territory of Guantanamo as well as the full respect for Cuban sovereignty ... are crucial to be able to move towards the normalization."