BOGOTA, Colombia, CMC – Foreign Minister Álvaro Leyva visited Haiti last weekend, describing the one-day visit on Saturday and the recent opening of the Colombian consulate as the “definitive opening of an alliance” between the two countries.
Both countries established diplomatic relations on August 7, 1936.
A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry said that his visit included the evaluation of the current state of the bilateral agenda to identify additional areas of collaboration, cooperation, and exchange.
Leyva met and talked with Prime Minister Dr. Ariel Henry and his Haitian counterpart, Jean-Victor Généus.
He also visited the new Colombian consulate in Port-au-Prince with the general consul, Vilma Velásquez, and a group of Colombian nationals residing in Haiti.
In January, Leyva held discussions with Généus on the sidelines of the VII Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Argentina.
Leyva announced that after 20 years, Colombia will reopen its Consulate in Haiti.
At least 17 former Colombian soldiers have been detained here following the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Jovenel Moise at his private residence overlooking the capital, Port au Prince.
The former Colombian military personnel have not yet been officially charged in connection with the killing, and their relatives have requested assistance from the Colombian government in establishing an independent court in a third country.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has since issued an apology to Haiti for the assassination and has expressed a desire to strengthen their bilateral relationship.
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