The U.S. has formally removed Cuba from its list of “state sponsors of terror,” the State Department announced on Friday, signaling one more step forward in a renewal of diplomatic relations between the two countries after more than 50 years.

Some economic sanctions against the Caribbean nation will remain in place.

President Barack Obama announced his intention to remove Cuba from the list in April, giving Congress 45 days to consider the new policy.

Cuba’s placement on the list, which began in 1982 over its support of leftist movements in South and Central America, has complicated the country’s access to financial markets for decades and been a roadblock in the building of foreign embassies there.