(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) President of Haiti, His Excellency Michel Martelly is spearheading his country’s deeper involvement in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) but has warned against the expectations of things happening quickly.
“It’s not like you push a button and something happens,” he said, and added that the relationship is being built through discussions, getting to know people and nurturing ties.
At a press conference on Thursday during his official visit to the CARICOM Secretariat, President Martelly, who is the current Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government, acknowledged that Haiti was once “present but absent”, but pointed out that it is today “more present, more involved” in the Community.
“There is a lot that we are doing at the Regional level that can be supportive of our Member States. We must tell our people and officials about this so they can appreciate our CARICOM more, not only the good work being done by the CARICOM Secretariat, but also by our Institutions and Agencies,” President Martelly said.
As part of the concentrated programme to help Haiti participate more fully in the integration movement, a team from the CARICOM Secretariat, headed by Secretary General Irwin LaRocque will visit Haiti for a full and comprehensive briefing on the activities of CARICOM, and how this important work can directly assist Haiti.
This decision was one of the outcomes of talks held Thursday morning with the Secretary-General and members of the Executive Management Committee of the Secretariat. The Secretariat team will hold discussions with representatives of the Government of Haiti, the private sector and civil society.
“It will include a focus on the specific things Haiti has to do to participate fully in and benefit from the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME),” President Martelly told the media.
Secretariat officials are also to visit Haiti shortly to apprise themselves of the work that Haiti has begun on food safety and traceability of agricultural products, and the possibilities for applying the Haitian approach to all CARICOM Member States. The Hon. Wilson LaLeau, the Haitian Minister of Trade and Industry, on Wednesday evening engaged his colleague ministers from Guyana and representatives of the Secretariat, and the private sectors of Haiti and Guyana on the matter of traceability.
The President was accompanied on his visit by the Honourable Pierre Richard Casimir, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Minister Laleau,; the Honourable Jacques Thomas, Minister of Agriculture; Mr. Peterson Noel, Advisor to the Cabinet of the President, and Ambassador Yves Mazile, Chief of Protocol.
