Castro, speaking at a session of the National Assembly, praised Obama, highlighted the profound political differences that still divide Cuba and the United States, and noted that normalization would not come quickly. Earlier in his speech, the Cuban leader said the economy lurched along with 1.4 percent growth in 2014 and pledged new steps to promote a nascent private sector in Cuba, one of the world’s last socialist holdouts. “Just as we have never proposed to the United States to change its political system, we will demand respect for ours,” Castro said. On the streets of Havana, Cubans voiced optimism at the sudden change of course in U.S.-Cuban relations, and expressed hope it would improve their lives. Castro said even as Cuba has enjoyed solidarity from fellow Latin American and Caribbean countries calling for the lifting of the U.S.