Saturday, the President Michel Martelly, accompanied by Wilson Laleau, Minister of Economy and Finance, left the country in the direction of Jamaica to attend the commemorative Summit of the 10th anniversary of the PetroCaribe Agreement, an energy cooperation mechanism, created by the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Hugo Chavez.

19 Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Energy and other government ministers, are participating in this summit at Montego Bay Convention Center (CCBM), including: the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega; Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris; Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves; Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Kenny Anthony; Prime Minister of Antigua Barbuda, Gaston Brown and Deputy Prime Minister of Belize, Margarito Gasper Vega among others.

Other high-level representatives of the Caribbean Community, of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Latin American Energy Organization are also present.

The summit includes a commemorative ceremony and a plenary session, which will focus on the activities and achievements of Petrocaribe in the last decade, while agreeing on future decisions.

"On behalf of Haiti, I express my gratitude to the leader Hugo Chavez, who gave birth to the PetroCaribe mechanism that contributes to the socio-economic development of Caribbean countries," said President Martelly who stressed the importance of PetroCaribe for Haiti in its recovery after the earthquake of January 2010. He emphasized on the bonds of solidarity and fraternity, which were forged by the creation of PetroCaribe, marked by the "seal of respect, tolerance and unfailing good will."

Moreover, the Head of the Haitian state, did not fail to remember the importance of giving priority to an open and productive dialogue between the governments of Guyana and Venezuela, on problems created following the penetration of the transnational Exxon Mobil through the territory of Essequibo, to exploit the natural resources of the region.

On the sidelines of the summit, the President Martelly take the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with other Heads of State and Government of the region. He will be back in Haiti this Sunday, September 6th.

HL/ HaitiLibre