Haitian ambassador in the DR, Guy Lamothe spoke about the increase in trade between the DR and Haiti and the increase in Haitian-Dominican business joint ventures in the past three years. He said that what is most important is to promote cooperation between both nations. In his opinion, the isolation of both countries must become a thing of the past. "We are going to have in the next century not Haitian or Dominican products, but products of the island that can compete with other trading blocs of the Caribbean or Latin America," he forecast. He says that there has been an increase in talk fostered by the chambers of commerce and business groups. Jean Edouard Baker, president of the Haitian Presidential Commission for Economic Development and Georges Brunet, president of the Development Assistance Associates were in the DR this week to promote Dominican investments in Haiti. They mentioned that already the communities of Juana Mendez and Cap Haitien consume 75% of Dominican produce. He would like to see more Dominicans investing in Haitian free zones. At present in Haiti there are only two free zones, while there are 40 industrial parks in the DR. If conditions could be created, installing free zones in Haiti could be good business for local free zone operators. At present, Dominican textile operators are held back after meeting textile quota limits, but this is not true for Haiti. Neither does Haiti have the obligation to import materials from the United States, and Haitian companies can manufacture apparel with lower cost Asian materials. Thus, local free zone consortiums have begun to explore the possibility of setting up parallel operations in Haiti. Jean Edouard Baker, president of the Haitian Presidential Commission for Economic Development, spoke at a luncheon of the Herrera Industrial Association pointing out how Haiti seeks to stimulate confidence in foreign investors and is now reaching out to Dominican businessmen so there may be an increase in cooperation between both private sectors.
