Above: the Turks and Caicos House of Assembly

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe traveled to Turks and Caicos this weekend for talks with Governor Ric Todd and Premier Dr Rufus Ewing.

The visit came after Lamothe’s trip to Aruba at the end of this week.

In a statement, Lamothe called it a “fruitful meeting,” discussing, in part, the “problems the Haitian community is facing.”

One of those problems has been Haitian immigration to Turks and Caicos has led to controversy in the British Overseas Territory, including opposition from some members of the government.

Last year, the Turks and Caicos announced it would end a ban on deportations of Haitian immigrants it had imposed in the wake of the 2010 earthquake. The meeting came almost a month after Ewing addressed Caribbean leaders at the first-ever CARICOM Summit held in Haiti in February.

Lamothe said he and Ewing agreed “to work jointly in order to boost the tourism sector in their respective countries.” The two sides said they “committed themselves to develop a successful partnership to improve bilateral cooperation for the benefit of both countries.”

Lamothe also held talks with Governor Todd, whose office did not comment on the meeting.