(VOVworld) - The US and Cuba have re-established direct telephone links, the latest step toward normalizing ties between the two countries, Cuban media said Wednesday.

An ETECSA (Cuban Telecommunications Company Inc.) employee talks on a mobile phone on April 14, 2008, in Havana, Cuba (AFP Photo/Adalberto Roque)

According to the Cuban state telecommunications company ETECSA, the reestablishment of direct communications will contribute to better understanding between the peoples. For the first time since 1999, calls can be made directly from the US to Cuba and vice versa. This is the first agreement signed between Washington and Havana since the two governments announced a renewal of diplomatic ties.