INTERVIEW / Haiti supports freedom, democracy, stands with Taiwan: Ambassador

Taipei, April 9 (CNA) Haiti supports Taiwan because it has long championed democracy and freedom, Ambassador Roudy Stanley Penn told CNA in an interview on Wednesday.

"We support the freedom of the people of Taiwan because we know what freedom means; we know what isolation means," Penn said in an interview conducted on Wednesday.

Citing the Caribbean country's history -- founded in 1804 after a 13-year slave revolt against France that turned the former colony into the world's first independent Black republic -- the envoy said Haitians continue to support freedom and democracy because "it defines Haiti as a country."

Amid ongoing political and social unrest, Penn said his country is also looking to Taiwan for greater economic and technological cooperation, one of his main points of emphasis in his second stint as the Caribbean country's top envoy to Taiwan.

Penn first served in the post from 2021 to the summer of 2024. After returning to Haiti for a year, he resumed the role in August 2025.

Upon returning to Taipei, Penn said the interim Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) selected him for the post because of his familiarity with Taiwan's government and people.

The interim government has tasked him with promoting closer cooperation between the two countries, particularly in technological and economic fields, he said.

Currently, bilateral cooperation is focused more on agriculture, according to the envoy.

"Aside from what we've already been doing, like agriculture, we are moving toward more technological and economic cooperation," he said, adding that Haiti can learn from Taiwan's success in economic transformation and benefit from its technology.

In addressing the political and social unrest in Haiti in recent years, Penn said the situation has stabilized, though public security remains the "biggest challenge."

"So we need friends to help us overcome this challenge," he said, adding that Taiwan's advanced technology -- including drones for border control -- could be helpful.

He also described Haiti as an emerging market for Taiwanese investment and a potential gateway to the vast United States market.

Facing challenges

Haiti, one of Taiwan's 12 diplomatic allies, has faced gang violence and social unrest since the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse at his home in July 2021.

The country is currently led by interim Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, who took office after the TPC, established under an April 2024 accord, ceased operations in February.

In the face of these challenges, Penn said Haitians are an "extraordinarily resilient" people.

"Our history is built on resilience," he said, noting that Haiti abolished slavery in 1804 "in a world where empires were based on slavery."

Other than becoming the first Black republic in the world, Haiti also played a critical role in advancing the liberation and abolition of slavery in Latin America, he said.

"We are a small country, but our size cannot define us. We are more than that. We are also a country of values. This is why we stand with our friends and the people of Taiwan," he said.

As 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Penn added that both governments and the Haitian embassy will hold yearlong events to celebrate the milestone.