Haiti and France discuss strengthening bilateral military cooperation

Haiti's Minister of Defense, Mario Andrésol, received France's chargé d'affaires in Haiti, Grégoire Varenne, on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, for talks focused on strengthening bilateral military cooperation, according to a ministry statement cited by Le Nouvelliste. The discussions centered on the training of Haitian soldiers, a process already begun in Martinique between 2024 and 2026, as well as on equipment needs suited to the country's operational realities, the statement said. The minister reaffirmed the objective of training 15,000 soldiers over five years. He also raised access for Haitian officers to specialized training programs, notably the Master 2 in 'Industrial Strategies and Public Defense Policies' at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, according to the communiqué. The meeting follows a series of similar exchanges the minister has held with foreign partners on military cooperation, including talks with Argentina and Brazil, and a meeting with Rear Admiral Soubrier over the Sabre partnership. No timeline or specific equipment commitments were detailed in the ministry statement. Le Nouvelliste reported the meeting based on the ministry's official communiqué.