Above: Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe (Photo: OPM Haiti)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe is set to visit Venezuela and Chile in the coming week.

On Sunday, Lamothe was to begin a one-day trip to Venezuela that was slated to include a meeting with Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.

In a statement, Lamothe’s office said the trip was aimed at “strengthening the friendly relations between the Republic of Haiti and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.”

Haiti’s government said the talks would focus on the strategy to boost the recently-proposed PetroCaribe Economic Zone.

Venezuela has been funding a number of projects in Haiti, including the redevelopment of the airport in Cap-Haitien.

On Monday, Lamothe was set to depart for Chile to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Chile President Michelle Bachelet in Santiago. Bachelet will be sworn in for the second time as the country’s president.

Lamothe’s agenda in Chile includes a meeting with Bachelet, according to his office.