Minister Laurent Lamothe in Talks with Korea Secures 41,500 Jobs and $6M Education Grants

Minister Laurent Lamothe in Talks with Korea Secures 41,500 Jobs and $6M Education Grants

Minister Laurent Lamothe and Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Sung-Hwan

MINISTER LAURENT LAMOTHE AND KOREA MINISTER KIM SUNG-HWAN

SEOUL, Korea (defend.ht) - Friday, October 21, 2011. The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, His Excellency Laurent Lamothe, met his South Korean counterpart, Kim Sung-Hwan, in order to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Minister Lamothe, staying in South Korea as part of the Korea Latin American & Caribbean (LAC) Forum 2011, which promotes Korean investment in Haiti in accordance with the wish expressed by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Michel Joseph Martelly, which aims to convince that Haiti is open to investment.

During this meeting, the two Ministers discussed trade issues, education, agriculture, security and job creation. They also discussed the experience of South Korea for the amazing development of the country during the past 60 years.

Minister Sung-Hwan noted: "60 years ago, South Korea was a bit like Haiti today." South Korea is now the 12th largest economy in the world and a model of success in Asia and around the world with on of the highest purchasing power. It is this experience of Korea that the Martelly/Conille administration wants to establish in Haiti.

Also discussed on this occasion, were matters relating to cooperation in agriculture and energy. Training in diplomacy was also provided for managers of the Haitian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Chancellor of South Korea has also pledged to Haitian students, scholarships and a donation of $ 6 million. This amount will be paid to the Ministry of Education to supply the School Grant Program "Lekòl timoun yo." This contribution will allow many more students to attend school for free.

On the other hand, the Minister Sung-Hwan took the opportunity to solicit the support of Haiti at the vote next year for the integration of South Korea as a nation in Asia to ensure the rotation within the Security Council of the United Nations. Minister Lamothe assured his counterpart that the vote of Haiti will be in his favor. A visit by the Haitian Head of State to South Korea was also planned for the near future.

The meeting ended on a positive note by Minister Sung-Hwan expressing a "special relationship between the peoples of South Korea and Haiti." Minister Lamothe concluded, for his part, that the Haitian people are very grateful to the Korean people for their assistance after the earthquake of January 12, 2010 and looks forward to new Korean investors in the country, adding that "South Korea is an inspiration for the future development of Haiti."

The economic involvement of South Korean entrepreneurs are already beginning to bring fruit in Haiti. Indeed, the company SAE-A, one of the largest global companies in the textile assembly industry, has already signed agreements to acquire an area estimated at 320,000 m2 and will create 20,000 jobs in the new Industrial Park in Caracol, in the department of Nord-Est.

A meeting was actually made between the Minister Lamothe and the CEO of the company that will employ 3,500 Haitians, SONAPI Industrial Park. This major contractor would also invest $30 million, creating 18,000 additional jobs. In all, over 41,500 jobs will be created during the year 2012. It will be a great victory for Haiti.

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"La vraie reconstruction d'Haïti passe par des réformes en profondeur des structures de l'État pour restaurer la confiance, encourager les investisseurs et mettre le peuple au travail. Il faut finir avec cette approche d'un État paternaliste qui tout en refusant de créer le cadre approprié pour le développement des entreprises mendie des millions sur la scène internationale en exhibant la misère du peuple." Cyrus Sibert
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WITHOUT REFORM, NO RETURN ON INVESTMENT IN HAITI (U.S. Senate report.)