Cuban and the United States say they have struck a deal to re-establish direct mail service, which was cut in 1963 at the height of Cold War tensions.

Both countries announced Friday that they would launch a pilot program to test direct service. They gave no date for the permanent reestablishment of service but indicated that it would not be imminent, saying that technical, operational and safety aspects remained under discussion.

The announcement came six days before the anniversary of presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro’s announcement that they were re-establishing diplomatic relations. The Obama administration has been trying to show tangible results of the new policy ahead of the anniversary.

(AP)