29th Intersessional Meeting of CARICOM Heads of State and Government, Port Au Prince, Haiti

On Sunday, 25 February 2018, a High Level Meeting was held at the National Palace of the Republic of Haiti between the President of the Republic of Haiti, His Excellency Jovenel Moise and Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Dr. the Honourable Hubert Minnis, MP, in the margins of the 29th Inter-Sessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Caribbean Community, being held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from 26 to 27 February 2018

The meeting between the President of the Republic of Haiti and the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas was held in an atmosphere of cordiality, openness and mutual understanding.

The discussions were focused on the implementation of the three Agreements between the Governments of The Bahamas and the Republic of Haiti signed in Nassau on 29 July 2014, namely:

  • A framework for bilateral cooperation;
  • An Agreement on trade and technical cooperation in the area of quality control for agricultural products and exportable fisheries; and

(iii) An agreement on the promotion and protection of investments.

The Two Heads:

  1. Addressed issues of mutual interest, and reaffirmed their determination to strengthen bilateral relations and mutual cooperation for the development of the two (2) peoples;
  1. Noted the excellent relations between the two countries, which have always been marked by fraternity, friendship and solidarity, and reaffirmed their determination to do everything possible to strengthen and develop them further;
  1. Expressed their determination to address the migratory situation and to undertake joint initiatives that could contribute to reducing the flow of migration to The Bahamas;
  1. Expressed their determination to find effective solutions to resolve the identification problem of Haitian nationals in The Bahamas; to this end, the Government of Haiti has decided to establish a centre of delivery and collection of identification of documents at the Embassy of Haiti in Nassau;
  1. Underscored the need for the creation of economic, commercial and investment opportunities between the private sectors in Haiti and The Bahamas, particularly in the Northern and Northwest region of Haiti;
  2. Expressed their desire to strengthen trade links for the purchase and sale of agricultural products and seafood and exportable fisheries between the two countries, through accepted international quality control standards;
  1. Emphasised the need to develop a maritime agreement between the two countries for maritime border control and to encourage closer collaboration between national, regional and international law enforcement institutions, including information sharing for greater effectiveness in combating illegal immigration, illicit trafficking in narcotics, the smuggling of migrants, and transnational organized crime.
  1. Affirmed their willingness to develop cultural and sports cooperation by encouraging in their respective countries the establishment of links between cultural, academic and other institutions, for a better knowledge of their respective cultures through exchanges of exhibitions, music, dance and other forms of culture and art, and exchanges between institutions and sports groups.
  2. Expressed their determination to cooperate in the area of tourism through information sharing of best practices and training opportunities.

This joint communiqué was done at Port-au-Prince, Capital of the Republic of Haiti, 25 February 2018 in duplicate in the English and French languages, both texts being equally authentic.