(VOVworld) – Cuba will normalize relations with the US after 53 years of confrontation as Cuban President Raul Castro announced Wednesday.

US President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro in Soweto, South Africa, for a memorial service for former South African president Nelson Mandela on Dec. 10, 2013. (photo: AP)

The decision was made after months of secret high-ranking talks between the US and Cuba, including a direct phone call between the two presidents on Tuesday.

US President Barack Obama described the changes as a new chapter in the relations between the US and Cuba, adding that it is time to end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance the bilateral ties. He expressed his wish that his administration would work with Congress to ultimately lift sanctions against Cuba.