Above: Haiti President Michel Martelly (centre)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti has “strong potential just waiting to be uncovered,” in areas like agriculture, tourism and construction, President Michel Martelly told attendees this weekend at the CELAC-EU Summit in Chile.

Martelly was in Santiago representing CARICOM and Haiti at the EU-CELAC Summit, focusing on his concerns about trade policy and the Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU on sustainable development.

But the Haitian leader pointed out what he called the importance of the partnership between the EU and CELAC, the relatively new regional body.

“While seeking to ensure economic and social progress for their respective members, these two groups can broaden their scope by cooperating to improve prosperity and democracy over large geographical areas,” he said.

Martelly, who is in Santiago while Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe attended the World Economic Forum this weekend in Davos, called for renewed investment in the region and a “definitive” eradication of poverty.

“For a new world, there must be a new vision,” he said.