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

Raul Castro thanks Obama for &#039;a new chapter,&#039; but affirms Cuba&#039;s communist rule

(Image credit: AP Photo/Lady Rene Perez, Cubadebate)

last updated 8 January 2015

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."

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Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.