On the afternoon of March 19, President Ma Ying-jeou met with a delegation from the Republic of Haiti led by that nation's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship Pierre-Duly Brutus. In addition to extending a cordial welcome to the delegation on their visit to Taiwan, the president also updated them on the substantive achievements of bilateral cooperation projects and the ROC's assistance to Haiti in post-disaster reconstruction.
In remarks, the president stated that Foreign Minister Brutus previously served as a member of Haiti's Chamber of Deputies as well as the president of the legislative body. In addition, in 2004 he began serving as his nation's Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS). He continued in this post for 10 years until returning to Haiti last year to take up his current position, with his background giving him abundant experience in foreign affairs. In April 2014, he accompanied Haitian President Michel J. Martelly on a visit to the ROC, and President Ma said he is delighted to have another opportunity to meet with Foreign Minister Brutus.
The president mentioned that in August 2013 he led a delegation on a visit to the Caribbean nation, marking the first visit to Haiti by an ROC head of state in the over 50 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations. In July last year when President Ma travelled to Panama to attend the inauguration of that nation's President Juan Carlos Varela, he again held discussions with President Martelly. President Ma is confident that the close interaction between the two countries and the frequent mutual visits are conducive to establishing an even closer cooperative relationship.
As for bilateral cooperation projects, the president said that since President Martelly's inauguration in May 2011, the ROC and Haiti have jointly formulated bilateral cooperation programs. Under the leadership in Haiti, these projects, ranging from infrastructure and agriculture to staple food security and health care & medicine, have yielded enormous achievements, the president stated.
In the area of infrastructure, the president furthermore said that the ROC has assisted in the rehabilitation of a 12-kilometer stretch of Haiti's National Highway 2, with work on this portion of the roadway expected to be completed at the end of July of this year. As for agriculture and the production of staple foods, the two countries last year signed the "Rice Seed Production Capacity Enhancement Project," which is expected to increase Haiti's supply of high-quality paddy rice seed from 14% to 45%, with the goal of producing 2,000 tons of commercial seed per year. This program is expected to assist over 50,000 farming households annually and will create an overall economic benefit to these farmers of US$8.17 million. Meanwhile, the "Les Cayes Cereal Crops Development Project" is also intended to boost the supply and production of cereal foods.
Mentioning the ROC's assistance to Haiti in post-disaster reconstruction, the president noted that Haiti experienced a devastating earthquake in January 2010. Just 12 hours after the tremor, the ROC dispatched a rescue and relief team to that nation to provide assistance. The team worked in cooperation with counterparts from other nations and was successful in rescuing seven survivors. President Ma also mentioned that in the five years since the disaster, the ROC government and the Red Cross Society of the ROC (Taiwan), World Vision Taiwan, Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund, and other private charitable organizations have cooperated to assist Haiti in promoting projects in four main areas—public health, settlement of displaced persons, vocational training, and care of orphans. For instance, the Taiwan Health Center has been established, medical equipment has been donated, and the "New Hope Village" has been built. These initiatives have helped the Haitian government in constructing a variety of public infrastructure, the president said.
The president recalled that when he led a delegation to Haiti in 2013 he attended the groundbreaking ceremonies for the reconstruction of the Supreme Court Building. While Haiti's presidential building also suffered serious damage in the earthquake, President Martelly was willing to work out of a small office, making the reconstruction of the Supreme Court Building a more urgent priority. President Ma said that he deeply admires the ideas and fortitude of Haiti in its emphasis on the rule of law. The court building reconstruction project is slated to be completed this year, and the president expressed hope that wide-ranging cooperation projects will continue to be carried out to enhance the wellbeing of the public.
President Ma reiterated that the ROC and Haiti have maintained an alliance that dates back 60 years. President Martelly last year, in an address at the General Assembly of the United Nations, spoke on behalf of the ROC. Foreign Minister Brutus also sent a letter to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, expressing support for observer status for the ROC in that organization. President Ma said that the government and people of the ROC will always remember these gestures.
Accompanying Foreign Minister Brutus to the Presidential Office to meet President Ma were Embassy of the Republic of Haiti Charge d'Affaires A.I. Rachel Coupaud and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Simon Shen-Yeaw Ko (柯森耀).