U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to visit Haiti on Thursday, September 5, 2024, before heading to Santo Domingo on Friday. “On September 5, he will travel to Port-au-Prince to meet with Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille and the Transitional Presidential Council,” announced Brian A. Nichols, the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, during a press conference. Secretary Blinken, said Nichols, will reaffirm the United States' commitment to supporting the Haitian people and promoting a safe and peaceful Haiti. Blinken, Prime Minister Conille, and the Transitional Presidential Council will also discuss Haiti's return to the path of democracy and the urgent need to hold elections so the Haitian people can determine their own future. “In Haiti, our goal is to recognize progress made on security and to encourage efforts to appoint the Provisional Electoral Council so the country can organize elections,” continued Nichols, highlighting the key milestones Haiti has reached.

Important Steps Forward

“In recent months, Haiti has made important strides. Beyond the appointment of Prime Minister Conille by the Transitional Presidential Council and the selection of his cabinet ministers, we have seen tangible signs of progress on the ground. These include the reopening of the airport and the resumption of commercial flights, increased economic activity and movement in certain areas of Port-au-Prince, and the deployment of the UN-authorized Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS), led by Kenya, which is working in close partnership with the Haitian National Police,” said Nichols. He emphasized that “thanks to increased international support for the MSS and the Haitian National Police, we are witnessing a dramatic increase in patrols and operations aimed at restoring security and a sense of normalcy in Haiti.”