Haiti Begins PetroCaribe Conference

By: - September 6th, 2013

Above: the Royal Oasis Hotel in Petion-Ville (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti has officially begun the 11th Council of Ministers of PetroCaribe summit, which is taking place this weekend at the Royal Oasis hotel in Petion-Ville.

It is the first time Haiti has hosted the conference, which brings together Ministers from all members of Venezeula’s PetroCaribe programme.

This weekend’s summit is covering the proposed constitution of the proposed PetroCaribe Economic Zone, which was agreed upon by member states at the seventh PetroCaribe summit in Caracas in May.

“We are proud to be both actors and witnesses of the birth of this new mechanism for regional solidarity, supporting economic growth and employment to combat the exclusion that affects millions of people in our region,” Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe said in a statement.

Haiti President Michel Martelly officially welcomed the assembled delegates to the conference, which will also cover areas including transport, tourism, trade and integration and production chains, among others.

Haiti has been designated as a “facilitator” at the conference to develop three sub-categories, including a centre for community integration, a “PetroCaribe University” and cultural activities within the bloc, according to a government statement.

Rose-Ann Auguste, Minister Delegate for the Promotion of Human Rights and the Fight Against Extreme Poverty in Haiti, said the designation offered Haiti the chance to focus on its “cultural wealth,” and to give a different perspective of Haiti.

“We have much more to gain than to lose in this economic zone,” she said.

Haiti will also be putting on a cultural heritage show for the attendees, and will be holding a fair highlighting local products like coffee, sugar and cocoa.

That is similar to the display Haiti put forth at the CARICOM conference it hosted at the Karibe Hotel in February.

Haiti has been steadily strengthening ties to Venezuela in recent years, even going so far as to name a new airport being constructed in Cap-Haitien for the late Hugo Chavez.

Haiti

Inter-American Congress on Tourism Begins in Honduras

Above: the OAS’ Albert Ramdin meets with representatives of the Honduran private sector (Photo: OAS) By the Caribbean Journal staff The 21st Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism has officially begun in Honduras. The event, which is being held this year in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, is focusing on […]

Haiti

Fort Lauderdale-Based Seaplane Service Expands in Bahamas

Above: a Tropic Ocean Airways plane By the Caribbean Journal staff Island hopping in the Bahamas just got a bit easier. Fort Lauderdale-based Tropic Ocean Airways has announced the addition of a new eight-passenger Cessna 206 seaplane. The company offers scheduled seaplane flights to Bimini four times a week and charters every day of the […]

Haiti

Haiti, Dominican Republic Plan Increased Business Dialogue

Above: Port-au-Prince By the Caribbean Journal staff Following up on a dialogue that started in Miami last month, private sector representatives from Haiti and the Dominican Republic are planning to deepen their conversations. Both sides agreed to transform their bilateral discussion into a permanent regular meeting to address the challenges that affect trade relations between […]

Eddie Murphy Releases Reggae Song With Snoop Lion

Above: Eddie Murphy By the Caribbean Journal staff Reggae may have begun in Jamaica, but it’s now in almost every country in the world, including Zamunda: star actor and comedian Eddie Murphy has gotten into reggae. The star of films like  “Coming to America,” (in which he played the prince of the fictional country of […]

St Kitts' Kittitian Hill on Track for "Soft Opening" in December

 Above: the view from a villa at Kittitian Hill (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff St Kitts’ Kittitian Hill project is on track for a late December “soft opening,” according to Tourism Minister Ricky Skerritt. The project announced earlier this summer that it would be opening its first phase at the end of this […]

Six Great Places to Eat in Tortola

Above: Eddie Murphy By the Caribbean Journal staff Reggae may have begun in Jamaica, but it’s now in almost every country in the world, including Zamunda: star actor and comedian Eddie Murphy has gotten into reggae. The star of films like  “Coming to America,” (in which he played the prince of the fictional country of […]

Barbados, Saudi Arabia Planning to Deepen Bilateral Relations

 Above: Bridgetown (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Saudi Arabia is interested in forging greater ties with Barbados, according to the country’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Abdallah Y Al-Mouallimi. The Ambassador revealed as much Tuesday following a courtesy call with Barbados Foreign Minister Maxine McClean at the Foreign Ministry in Bridgetown. The […]