Above: Haiti President Michel Martelly with Ecuador President Rafael Correa in Quito (Photo: OP Haiti)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti President Michel Martelly and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe met Monday with Ecuador President Rafael Correa in Quito.

The meeting was part of an official visit to the country, which has been steadily deepening its cooperation with Haiti in areas like tourism and security in recent years.

The discussions included issues like air transport, the establishment of a security force in Haiti and other areas of on-the-ground Ecuadorian support in Haiti, according to a statement from the National Palace.

Martelly has previously said the force would be used to fill the vacuum that will be left by the eventual departure of the UN’s MINUSTAH peacekeeping force from Haiti.

Beginning in 2012, Haiti sent cadets to Ecuador for military training to become part of a new police force focused on natural disaster management.

Ecuador is also training 15 Haitian policemen every year as part of their agreement.

Following their meeting Monday, Martelly and Correa also announced the first working session of a “Bilateral Joint Committee” between the two countries, slated to hold its first meeting in December.