(VOVworld) – On Saturday, Cuban First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel received a delegation of US Republican senators from the states of Arizona, Maine and Kansas.

Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz, shakes hands with Cuba's First Vice President Miguel Diaz Canel, at Revolution Palace, in Havana, Cuba, Saturday, June 13, 2015. (Photo: AP)

According to Cuba’s Prensa Latina, the two sides discussed the process to renovate Cuba’s socio-economic model as well as Cuba-US relations, and the need to end economic sanctions imposed by Washington for over half a century. The visit has been seen as a positive sign in the normalization of diplomatic ties between the US and Cuba. In May, the US removed Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a crucial step in President Obama’s push to normalize ties between Washington and Havana.