Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, traveled Sunday, May 15, to Jamaica and Barbados, in the Caribbean. The Brazilian Chancellor wants to promote the dialogue of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) with Haiti.
He will also sign technical cooperation agreements in the areas of agriculture, health and culture with Jamaica and Barbados.
The director of the Department of the North and Central Americas, and the Caribbean of the Ministry of Foreign Relations, Marcelo Leonardo Vasconcelos, said that the visits are part of the efforts Brazil has been making to strengthen ties and dialogue between Caricom and Haiti, suspended after the departure of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
According to the Minister, instead of working together with the Caribbean Community for a political solution, Haitians deposed Aristide and implanted a new government without informing the Community.
“Caricom member states resented. They value the democratic process. Haiti has been suspended because it hasn’t yet accepted a legitimate government in the country. Caricom has a series of projects for Haiti, but it is only willing to help whenever a new government is elected,” he said.
Minister Marcelo Vasconcelos recalled trips of the Haitian chancellor to some countries of the Caribbean community this year, a demonstration that Haiti is open to dialogue.
The Caribbean Community is a political and economic cooperation bloc, created in 1973. 14 countries and four territories of the Caribbean region integrate the bloc.
They are old colonies of European countries that, after independence, decided to join efforts to ease limitations inherent to their new condition, and to accelerate their economic development process.
Agência Brasil