Haiti and Taiwan will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides on April 25, with celebrations scheduled later this month. Speaking to the media on Wednesday, April 22, Haiti’s Ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan) Roudy Stanley Penn said that the anniversary event will be on the theme of “Celebrating Friendship and Inspiring the Future.”

Penn said that Haiti, which is one of 12 countries Taiwan has official diplomatic relations with, has “consistently demonstrated unwavering support for Taiwan on the international stage.”

“The longevity of a diplomatic relation is in itself a powerful message. It speaks to something essential. For a relationship to endure in this way, it must be built on deep foundations, solid principles, and mutual trust,” he said.

Penn said that the Caribbean nation’s relationship with Taiwan rests “on a foundation of values such as freedom, democracy, citizen participation, the self-determination of peoples, and respect for human dignity.” Both countries went through a wave of democratization during the 1980s, he noted. 

Penn said that the peoples of Taiwan and Haiti are both resilient, while some other countries do not have the same energy in facing adversity. He went on to say that both Taiwan and Haiti are mountainous countries, and Haiti can learn from how Taiwan has addressed environmental challenges and natural disasters such as earthquakes.