On the sidelines of the 56th Ordinary Session of the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), Raina Forbin, Haiti's Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a fruitful meeting with Albert R. Ramdin, Secretary General of the OAS.

These discussions allowed the two officials to exchange views on the current situation in Haiti, the challenges related to the ongoing transition, and prospects for cooperation between the OAS and the Haitian authorities.

Minister Forbin reiterated the Haitian government's commitment to doing everything possible, with the support of international partners, to restore security and organize credible, inclusive, and peaceful elections as soon as possible to ensure the success of the ongoing transition.

Secretary General Ramdin reaffirmed the OAS's commitment to supporting efforts led by Haitians themselves to stabilize the country, strengthen democratic institutions, and create the necessary conditions for the Haitian people to freely choose their leaders. "[...] This requires security progress, political responsibility, humanitarian attention, institutional strengthening, and a clear commitment by all stakeholders."

He stressed the importance of coordinated and concrete support from the international community to foster tangible progress on security, democratic governance, and institutional strengthening.

Discussions also focused on the need to maintain close coordination between Haiti, the OAS, CARICOM, the United Nations, and other international partners to support the efforts of the Haitian authorities to stabilize the country and create the conditions conducive to holding elections.

Minister Forbin welcomed the Secretary-General’s expressed willingness to continue the dialogue with the Haitian authorities: "[...] I look forward to visiting Haiti in the coming weeks to continue consultations with national authorities, political and social actors, regional partners, and the international community. The OAS will continue to work closely with Haiti, CARICOM, the United Nations, and other partners to help align efforts and support concrete progress," Ramdin stated.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continued close collaboration in service of stability, strengthening the rule of law, and a lasting return to constitutional order in Haiti.

HL/ HaitiLibre