The United States removed Cuba from its blacklist as a state sponsor of terrorism Friday, in a landmark move aimed at paving the way towards normalising ties frozen for half a century.
US President Barack Obama had notified Congress earlier this year that he intended to remove Havana from the list, giving lawmakers 45 days to object, which elapsed Friday.
Now Secretary of State John Kerry "has made the final decision to rescind Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, effective today, May 29, 2015," the State Department said in a statement.
"The rescission of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism reflects our assessment that Cuba meets the statutory criteria for rescission," the statement said.