Bahamas Diplomatic Relations with Haiti

According to Dr. Newry, the Bahamas has always had a special relationship with Haiti. In fact, the relationship was established over 100 years ago with the arrival of the 1st Counsel to the Bahamas from Haiti. Prior to the early 1800s, Haiti was considered to be the "Pearl of the Antiles" by the French and was considered the premier economic country in the Caribbean. The Bahamas' relationship with Haiti was further developed because of it close proximity to the southern islands of the Bahamas. In fact, during the early years, food items were purchased from Haiti and brought into the Bahamas. After the Revolution, many Haitians came to the Bahamas for economic and educational reasons. The Bahamas and Haiti had established economic ties prior to their diplomatic relationship. Today, Bahamians have an enormous opportunity to profit from Haiti.