Raul Castro thanks Obama for 'a new chapter,' but affirms Cuba's communist rule

Cuban President Raul Castro spoke at the end of his country's legislative session on Saturday, cheering "a new chapter" between the United States and Cuba, The New York Times reports.

Castro promised that his country will push forward on economic reform, but he noted that any changes must be gradual, in the name of "sustainable communism."

In that vein, Cuba's president warned the U.S. that a new, diplomatic chapter does not give America license to meddle.

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"Every country has inalienable rights to choose its own political system," Castro said. "No one should believe that improving relations with the United States means Cuba renouncing its ideas."