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Mr. Castro confirmed that he would travel to Panama in April for the Summit of the Americas, which Mr. Obama is also set to attend. A White House official said Saturday that there were no current plans for the two presidents to meet there.

Mr. Castro, wearing a traditional white shirt called a guayabera and only occasionally gesturing for emphasis, referred repeatedly to Mr. Obama, praising him personally while also emphasizing that with the process of real diplomacy just beginning, "the only way to advance is with mutual respect."

He insisted, as he and Fidel Castro have for years, that the United States not meddle in the sovereign affairs of the Cuban state.

Carlos Alzugaray Treto, a Cuban diplomat and educator, said Mr. Castro's strong wording, in a speech that is an annual event and rallying point, seemed to be mostly directed at his Communist Party loyalists.

"It's domestic politics," Dr. Alzugaray said.

He noted that, just as Mr. Obama must contend with Cuban-American lawmakers who are angry about the deal, Mr. Castro faces opposition from more conservative party members who recall that Cuba's previous stance, established in the 1960s, was to hold off resuming relations until the United States lifted its trade embargo completely.

"It's Ral reassuring certain people," Dr. Alzugaray said, adding that in both Cuba and the United States, the embryonic era of friendliness would need to be protected from those resisting reconciliation of any kind. "Obama more than Ral has initiated the first step, but other steps are needed."

Amy Chozick contributed reporting from Honolulu.

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Cuba: We'll stick with Communism