Cuba and the United States could soon sign agreements renewing direct flights and mail services between the two countries, Cuba’s foreign ministry said Tuesday.

Cuba and the United States could soon sign agreements renewing direct flights and mail services between the two countries, Cuba's foreign ministry said Tuesday.

The second US-Cuba bilateral meeting, held in Washington, also discussed reaching agreements on environmental protections and fighting drug trafficking, the foreign ministry's Gustavo Machin told reporters.

The neighbors across the Florida Straits renewed their diplomatic relations in July after a 50-year standoff.

Machin, the ministry's deputy director for US issues, said that other issues, “including human rights, were also discussed in a constructive manner."

The US State Department said that both sides had a chance to review progress on common priorities, including telecommunications, environmental protections and compensation claims.

Several US companies want compensation for property that was nationalized after the Cuban Revolution. Separately, Cuba wants to recover Guantanamo Bay, which the US navy has been using since the 1898 Spanish-American war.

The next US-Cuba meeting is set to be held in Havana in early 2016, the brief statement read.