Several Latin American leaders publicly welcomed the thaw , with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro hailing Obama 's move toward normalization as a " valiant and historically necessary gesture " , despite being a regular critic of U.S. policy . Colombian Liberal ex-President Ernesto Samper in his capacity as President of UNASUR said that " this was very good news , not only for Cuba but for the entire region " . Juan Carlos Varela , the conservative President of Panama , said that in the 7th Summit of the Americas to be held in his country after April 7 , 2015 , it will be possible to " achieve the dream of a united region "
7th Summit of the Americas
7th Summit of the Americas
Cuban thaw