US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, He acknowledged that the crisis that Haiti has been going through for years has repercussions throughout the Western Hemisphere and promised to continue working to make the depressed country “successful.”
“The situation has repercussions throughout the hemisphere, starting with the Dominican Republic, but also in the United States,” Blinken said at a press conference with the president. Luis Abinaderduring an official visit yesterday to the Dominican Republic, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
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The issue of Haiti is “a challenge and is very complicated” because it involves issues that “go back many years, they are deep-rooted problems,” said the senior U.S. official, who yesterday visited the nation, where he met with the transitional authorities, announced an increase in humanitarian aid of 45 million and promised to work during the United Nations General Assembly to increase international contributions to the security mission.
What is happening in this impoverished country “is first and foremost a question of human need and human interest because people are suffering a lot,” he said, adding that the Haitian people “deserve better” and that there is “a collective interest” in the international community to help them.
In his remarks, Blinken noted that there has been some progress in recent months following the installation of the transitional government and the arrival of the contingent of Kenyan soldiers, as part of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MMS) to help the National Police confront armed gangs that have spread terror in the country, especially in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
“Our future and our destinies are linked,” said Blinken, who reiterated that the United States will bring the Haitian issue back to the United Nations for the mission’s mandate to be renewed in October.
In October 2023, the UN Security Council approved the dispatch of a mission to support the Haitian National Police.