Colombia and Haiti established diplomatic relations in 1820, and Haiti provided support in the Colombian War of Independence,[1] serving as inspiration and refuge to Simón Bolívar and even providing him with 7 ships, 4,000 rifles with bayonets, 15,000 pounds of gunpowder, 15,000 pounds of lead, rifle flints, provisions, cash, and 3,500 men.[4] Simon Bolivar said about Haiti:
Having lost Venezuela and New Granada, the island of Haiti welcomed me with hospitality: the magnanimous President Pétion lent me his protection and under his auspices I formed an expedition of three hundred men comparable in courage, patriotism and virtue to the companions of Leonidas. Thanks to the people of Haiti my compatriots will be free again.[5]
Prior to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Colombia played a role in several projects and had police presence in the MINUSTAH (the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti). Following the aftermath of the earthquake, Colombia has sent important amounts of humanitarian aid, ships, experts and infrastructure to Haiti to assist with reconstruction.[1] In 2024, Colombian president Gustavo Petro was expected to visit Haiti, but was unable to visit the country due to the security situation.[6] On April of that year, Consul General of Colombia, Vilma Velásquez met with ten Haitian entrepreneurs who expressed in exploring the Colombia market for trade purposes.[7]
Colombia exported products worth 9,133 thousand dollars, the main exported products being sugar, agro-industrial products and plastics, while Colombia exported products worth 45 thousand dollars, the main products being cosmetics.[10]
In 2022, Haiti exported $376k to Colombia. The products exported from Haiti to Colombia consisted of knit men's undergarments ($81k), knit t-shirts ($66.8k), and essential oils ($60k). Colombia exported $52.5M to Haiti. The products exported from Colombia to Haiti included raw sugar ($29.2M), baked goods ($7.15M), and palm oil ($3.84M).[11]
Resident diplomatic missions
Colombia uses its embassy in Santo Domingo as a concurrent embassy in Haiti.[1]