Tegucigalpa: Honduras and the United States normalized on Friday their diplomatic ties which were affected by the political crisis caused by the coup against then president Manuel Zelaya in June last year, Xinhua News Agency informed.

Honduran President Porfirio Lobo said on Friday that “I am happy that with the visit of U.S. ambassador to Honduras Hugo Llorens, we are practically normalizing the ties with the United States of America.”

During a press conference at the government house, Lobo, accompanied by
Llorens, said that “more than one million Honduran people living in the United States demanded a friendly tie” between both countries.

Meanwhile, Llorens said that “we always said that the elections (of Nov. 29) were an essential condition, but not enough, and the other element was the fulfillment of the Tegucigalpa-San Jose Agreement.”

“Honduras will be able to appoint its ambassador (to the United States) without problem. That will be done with normality,” Llorens said.

Llorens added that his government will go through the procedures about Honduras’ request to renew the Temporary Protection Program, which benefits at least 75,000 Honduran citizens living in the United States.