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Partnering with Honduras to Create Economic Opportunity

October 6, 2011 at 11:35 AM ET by Nikki Sutton

Summary:

President Obama meets with President Porfiro Lobo of Honduras to reaffirm the friendship between our two countries and discuss future collaboration on dealing with security issues and creating economic opportunity.

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President Obama met with President Porfiro Lobo of Honduras yesterday in the Oval Office to reaffirm the strong relationship between the United States and Honduras. Before the bilateral meeting, President Obama spoke of President Lobo's role in restoring democratic practices following a coup in Honduras two years ago and the chance to expand economic opportunities between our countries:

President Lobo’s leadership is responsible not only for helping to restore constitutional order and democracy and a commitment to fair and free elections, but it’s also allowed Honduras once again to rejoin the Organization of American States, and for Hondurans -- the Honduran relationship with its neighbors to be restored to a normal place.

Of course, much work remains to be done. And I’m looking forward to a excellent conversation with President Lobo about how we can be helpful in ensuring that human rights are observed in Honduras. We will discuss ways in which our two countries can work effectively together to deal with the security situation that exists not only in Honduras but through Central America, and how we can cooperate effectively in preventing the countries of Central America from being corrupted and overrun by the transnational drug trade. And we also will have discussions about how we can continue to strengthen development in Honduras and the region so that people have opportunity, we will see economic growth, see economic development, and expand trade and further interactions between our two countries.