text: President Barack Obama proved he is very popular in Jamaica on Thursday. Crowds across the country cheered for President Obama as he made multiple stops and became the American president to visit the island nation since President Ronald Reagan in 1982. And it seems no one was more excited, or starstruck, than Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller. Scroll down for videos . President Barack Obama (above with Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller) became the first president to visit Jamaica since President Ronald Reagan in 1982on Thursday . Prime Minister Simpson Miller told President Obama the citizens of her country loved him, and she loved him as well . 'I just want to say to you, you might not know, but you are very loved in this country,' Prime Minster Simpson Miller told President Obama . 'So I just wanted to say you're well-loved in Jamaica. Well, first of all I can say to you publicly, 'I love you.'' Simpson Miller said she hoped Obama understood how important his visit is to Jamaica. 'It is a great pleasure to visit Jamaica, known for its beauty and the extraordinary spirit of its people,' Obama wrote as he signed the guest book at Jamaica House, where the prime minister and her staff have offices. 'May the deep and abiding friendships between our nations continue for generations to come.' Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt (left) and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (right) watched President Obama as he spoke at a town hall . Jamaica's leader also asked President Obama to exonerate black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey, who was convicted in the U.S. of mail fraud in the 1920s. Prime Minister Simpson Miller says she told Obama that it is the 'deep desire of the government and people of Jamaica' to have Garvey exonerated of the U.S. criminal conviction that got him deported to Jamaica in 1927. She says she asked Obama to 'consider the matter and to offer any support within his authority.' Garvey was the first person named a Jamaican national hero following the island's independence in 1962. He died in 1940. Obama arrived in Jamaica late Wednesday. He met with Simpson Miller and other Caribbean prime ministers Thursday before departing for the Summit of the Americas in Panama. He is off for another historic meeting there, this time with Cuba's President Raul Castro. What's more, President Obama signaled Thursday he will soon remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, boosting hopes for improved ties as he prepared for his encounter with President Castro. President Obama signaled Thursday while speaking in Jamaica he will soon remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism . Many at the town hall in Jamaica cheered and screamed 'I love you' as President Obama spoke . President Obama said the U.S. State Department had finished its review of Cuba's presence on the list, a stain on the island nation's pride and a major stumbling block for efforts to mend U.S.-Cuba ties. A top senator confirmed that the agency had recommended removing Cuba from the list, all but ensuring action by the president within days. 'We don't want to be imprisoned by the past,' said President Obama. 'When something doesn't work for 50 years, you don't just keep on doing it. You try something new.' With his optimistic assessment, Obama sought to set the tone for the U.S. and Cuba to come closer to closing the book on more than a half-century of estrangement, when he and Castro come face to face at the Summit of the Americas. Obama arrived Thursday evening in Panama City. The highly anticipated interaction with Castro will test the power of personal diplomacy as the two leaders attempt to move past the sticking points that have interfered with their attempt to relaunch diplomatic relations. Last night Secretary of State John Kerry met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in a Panama City hotel . Conversation: John Kerry and  Bruno Rodriguez talked for at least two hours, sitting across from each other in a restaurant-bar in the hotel fronted by large glass windows. The U.S. government said the meeting went well . Last night Secretary of State John Kerry met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in a Panama City hotel. The two men talked for at least two hours, sitting across from each other in a restaurant-bar in the hotel fronted by large glass windows. The U.S. government said the meeting went well. 'Secretary Kerry and Cuban Foreign Minister Rodriguez had a lengthy and very constructive discussion this evening. The two agreed they made progress and that we would continue to work to resolve outstanding issues,' a senior State Department official said. During the talk, Kerry at times gesticulated to Rodriguez with his hands as security officials stood guard outside. The US has long since stopped actively accusing Cuba of supporting terrorism, and Obama has hinted at his willingness to take Cuba off the list ever since he and Castro announced a thaw in relations in December. Yet Obama has stopped short of the formal decision amid indications that the White House was reluctant to grant Cuba's request until other thorny issues - such as restrictions on U.S. diplomats in Havana - were resolved. Cuba is one of just four countries still on the U.S. list of countries accused of repeatedly supporting global terrorism; Iran, Sudan and Syria are the others. The designation not only offends Cuba's pride but also restricts Havana's access to credit and financial systems. Cuban President Raul Castro (above) arrived in Panama Thursday, where he will attend a dinner with President Obama on Friday . Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate's foreign relations panel, called the recommendation to delist Cuba an important step toward forging a more productive U.S.-Cuba relationship. 'The United States has a unique opportunity to begin a fresh chapter with Cuba - one that advances our national interests on the island and in the hemisphere,' he said. Yet while recent polling has shown broad support for the thaw in both Cuba and the U.S., the change has attracted fierce opposition from many other members of Congress - especially those who represent the large Cuban-American population in Florida. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday there were 'serious questions' about the wisdom of taking Cuba off the list 'while this dictatorship, which practices repression at home and supports violence throughout the region, continues to hold power.' This year's summit is the first to include Cuba, and for Castro it's a powerful opportunity to prove his country can be a responsible player on the world stage. President Obama arrives having amassed some goodwill in Latin America by upending the US policy of isolating Cuba, a policy that had irritated others in the region, and by loosening immigration policies at home. How much face time Obama and Castro will have at the summit was unclear. Although no formal meetings were scheduled, the White House said the two would surely cross paths. Obama and Castro shared a handshake in 2013 at Nelson Mandela's funeral, a jarring image for those who still recall the levels of US - Cuban antipathy during the Cold War. While in Panama, Obama was to meet Friday with Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela and other Central American leaders. He planned to speak at a forum of CEOs before joining other leaders for dinner at Panama Viejo, home to archaeological ruins dating to the 1500s. A visit to the Panama Canal was also likely. In a nod to lingering U.S. concerns about human rights and political freedoms, Obama is making a point to attend a forum bringing together both dissidents and members of the Cuban political establishment. On Wednesday, Castro supporters aggressively heckled a group of Cuban dissidents at a civil society forum in Panama City, drawing criticism from the U.S. Although taking Cuba off the terror list would remove one major obstacle to warming relations, Obama acknowledged that progress hasn't been as swift as some had hoped. Both nations called in December for quickly reopening embassies in each other's capitals - hopefully in time for the summit. That hasn't materialized, in part due to disagreements about U.S. diplomats' freedom of movement in Havana. The U.S. sees those restrictions as an attempt to stifle dissent by limiting Americans' interactions with Castro's political opponents. 'They are proceeding as I expected,' Obama said of the talks between Havana and Washington. 'I never foresaw that immediately, overnight, everything would transform itself.'
target: President Barack Obama became the first president to visit Jamaica since President Ronald Reagan in 1982 on Thursday .
  Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller gushed over President Obama, at one point telling him 'I love you'
  President Obama signaled Thursday while speaking in Jamaica he will soon remove Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism .
  This as he prepares to have dinner with Cuban President Raul Castro on Friday at the Summit of the Americas in Panama .
  The two shared a handshake a Nelson Mandela's funeral in 2013, which angered some Americans .
  Last night Secretary of State John Kerry met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in a Panama City hotel .