Cuba Reaffirms Commitment to Back Haiti Development

Cuba will continue to support the Haitian people according to their needs and its authorities can count on us, Cuban First Vice President, Miguel Diaz-Canel reiterated this Friday upon arrival in Haiti.

“We are very happy to be here, this is a brother country with whom we are very close,” expressed Diaz-Canel after arriving at Toussaint Louverture International Airport to attend the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Association of Caribbean States. At the airport, the Cuban leader was greeted by Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, who spoke briefly in the presence of representatives of both countries.

Lamothe thanked Cuba for its solidarity and support in different sectors, and referred to several recovery programs for the benefit of the Haitian people after the earthquake of January 12, 2010.

He cited efforts to house people displaced by the quake, which killed 300,000 people, left two million homeless and destroyed much of the infrastructure of Port au Prince.

Data from the International Organization for Migration specifies that 320,050 Haitians are still in refugee camps, where living conditions are very difficult.

This represents a reduction of 79 percent of the total of a million and a half people who were in these conditions immediately following the earthquake.

It is very important that people experience a hope, and equal opportunities, stressed Diaz-Canel, who expressed his optimism over the summit and the relaunch of the ACS.

ACS has as full members Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, El Salvador, Granada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Jamaica.

Additional full members include Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.