Laurent Lamothe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs, held a meeting last Thursday with all the employees of his Ministry to celebrate the holiday season and provide a review of actions of the first two months of his administration.

The Minister Lamothe stated on this occasion, that Haiti needs solidarity to keep moving forward during the new year, towards the realization of new actions through business diplomacy and the development. He recalled that the dignity of the nation is the priority at the level of external relations as defined by the President of the Republic, Michel Martelly.

The Minister Lamothe was particularly pleased by the review of results already obtained at the head of the Chancellery after only two months :

• Significant support from Thailand for the purchase of buses to transport students benefiting from free education program ;

• India's assistance for the construction of a modern village named Gandhi Village to Morne à Cabrit ;

• Japan's assistance for poor farmers estimated at 4,500.000 dollars ;

• Assistance of Uruguay of approximately 3,477,000 dollars to strengthen education programs and health ;

• Assistance to Taiwan for a road rehabilitation program estimated at $9 million ;

• Support for a program of modernization of airports ;

• Support for academic exchange at the level of CARICOM ;

• The realization of a Forum on investment at the hotel Karibe Convention Center in Port-au-Prince with the participation of over 500 international investors and the perspective of 500,000 jobs ;

• The appointment of five new Honorary Consuls abroad ;

• Technical assistance of the Republic of Cuba in favor of the CNE, the SMCRS and school bus company Dignité ;

• Strengthening of the cooperation with Venezuela ;

• Technical assistance of Ecuador at the level of the social housing programs ;

• Preparation of the first visit to Haiti of the President of Brazil, Ms. Dilma Rousseff on February 1, 2012 for the inauguration of a new power plant in the Artibonite ;

• Plea for acceptance to engage Haitians of the Diaspora in the United Nations Mission for Stabilization in Haiti (Minustah) ;

• Negotiation for the acceptance of Haitians without visas in the countries of CARICOM ;

• A new premises for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs starting from January 2012 and many other achievements.

Recalling that the executives and employees of the Ministry have great responsibilities vis-à-vis the country, the Minister Lamothe took advantage of this small ceremony, marked by conviviality, to provide them with Christmas gifts and scholarships to their children at the level of primary school. He also mentioned the possibility of appointment to diplomatic posts abroad for the benefit of certain executives of the institution.

Warmly applauded by the audience who clearly expressed his great satisfaction, the Minister Lamothe finally wished a Merry Christmas to the Haitian Diplomatic Corps, employees and staff of the Ministry, and to the people of Haiti that supports the business diplomacy advocated by the President Martelly.

HL/ HaitiLibre