On June 25, the Perry Center hosted Haitian President Michel Martelly and a delegation of senior Haitian officials. His delegation included: H.E. Duly Brutus, Minister of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Lener Renauld, Minister of Defense; H.E. Paul Altidor, Haitian Ambassador to the United States; H.E. Denis Regis, Permanent Representative of Haiti to the UN; H.E. Bocchit Edmond, Haitian Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS); Minister Counselor William Exantus from the Haitian Embassy in Washington, DC.; Mr. Charles A. Forbin, Consul General of Haiti in New York; Minister Counselor Leon Charles, Permanent Mission of Haiti to the OAS; and Minister Counselor Josue Pierre, Permanent Mission of Haiti to the OAS. While in Washington, DC, President Martelly also attended the Inter-American Defense College course graduation, held at the headquarters of the OAS.

This occasion marks President Martelly’s first visit to the Perry Center since assuming the presidency, and following introductory remarks by NDU President Major General Gregg Martin and Acting Director Ken LaPlante, President Martelly had the opportunity to speak to the WJPC faculty and staff and become acquainted with the work of the Center. During the visit, President Martelly also presented the Perry Center with the gift of a portrait of Jean-Jacque Dessalines, considered by the Haitian people as their founding father, for the Center’s Hall of Founding Fathers, an ongoing project that highlights the principal figures of the histories of each country in the Hemisphere.