TEMPO.CO, Havana - Cuban President Raul Castro demanded that the United States return the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay before the two countries re-establish diplomatic relations.

Castro also said that the US should lift the trade embargo on Cuba that has been imposed for a half of century and compensate for damages in the country as requirements for reconciliation.

Castro's statements came during a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States on Wednesday, January 28, 2015, in Havana. He said that Cuba and the US are working toward full diplomatic relations but "if these problems aren't resolved, this diplomatic re-approchement wouldn't make any sense."

Castro and US President Barack Obama announced on December 17, 2014, that they would renew full diplomatic relations by reopening embassies in each other's countries. The announcement was followed by a meeting between both countries in Havana last week.

Obama has loosened the trade embargo on Cuba to improve the economy of the Cuba and increase the number of Cubans who do not depend on the communist state for their livelihoods. Obama will also remove barriers for US travel, remittances and exports to Cuba.

AL JAZEERA | CHOIRUL