Above: Haiti PM on a trip to Vietnam last year

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Haiti and Vietnam have signed a cooperation agreement covering trade and investment, according to the office of Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.

The agreement was signed in Hanoi on Monday by Haiti Finance Minister Wilson Laleau, Agriculture Minister Thomas Jacques and Vietnam Trade Minister Vu Huy Hoang.

It aims to “attract new investment in Haiti and strengthen cooperative relations between the two countries, particularly in the areas of trade and industry,” according to a statement.

Laurent Lamothe made an official visit to Vietnam at the end of 2012.

“Haiti is an important partner for Vietnam and we are honoured by the opportunity offered to us to invest in Haiti and export our products to that country, including rice,” Hoang said in a statement.

Haiti will be hosting a “large delegation” of Vietnamese businessmen in the coming months, according to the Prime Minister’s office.

The two countries are also considering the establishment of a bilateral Joint Commission to explore other avenues of investment, the government said, including at the industrial park in Caracol.