Above: Haiti PM Laurent Lamothe in Vietnam (Photo: OPM Haiti)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe is returning home following the conclusion of a visit to Vietnam.

The three-day trip, which included meetings with the country’s Prime Minister and President, was aimed at “strengthening cooperation between the two countries,” according to a statement.

Lamothe also met with the CEO of Vietnamese telecom firm Viettel, urging Vietnamese investors to invest in Haiti, particularly in the garment industry.

Haiti and Vietnam also agreed to establish a framework agreement covering, among other things, a visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports, and the “reciprocal protection of investments.”

In a joint communique, Lamothe and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said they expressed “satisfaction at the development of the relations, and agreed to intensify the exchange of high-level visits aimed at further consolidating the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.”

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency, Lamothe said that future cooperation in infrastructure and energy between the two countries could drive bilateral trade to $400 million.

Lamothe also announced that he would discuss with President Michel Martelly the possibility of opening an embassy in Hanoi.