Valley residents welcome changes in US-Cuba policies

Change in U.S. policy toward Cuba is welcome news to Mahoning Valley residents with ties to the Caribbean nation.

“Certainly it’s a welcome change and it did come as a surprise right before Christmas,” said Dr. Milton Sanchez-Parodi, a Poland physician. “It’s a surprise that there are so many changes that the president has addressed.”

Dr. Sanchez-Parodi came to the United States from Cuba in 1962. He was 13. Initially, the family lived in Miami, then moved to California. He came to the Mahoning Valley

27 years ago.

Some of his family members remain in Cuba, and while he hasn’t returned for the last two years, he used to visit annually.

President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that full diplomatic relations with Cuba would be restored after more than 50 years. The U.S. will open an embassy in Havana. The agreement follows the release by Cuban authorities of U.S. contractor Alan Gross, who was imprisoned for five years; and the U.S. release of members of an alleged Cuban spy ring.

Read more about the history of the break between the two countries and more reaction from Valley residents to the changes in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.