Hugo Chávez Gets Airport Named After Him In Haiti

FILE - In this July 9, 2012 file photo, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaks in Caracas, Venezuela. Mitt Romney says it is âstunning and shockingâ that President Barack Obama does not see Venezuela's leader as a national security threat to the U.S. In a statement, Romney says it is disturbing to see Obama downplay the threat posed by Hugo Chavez's regime. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File) (AP2012)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is being honored in Haiti, where an airport in the country's north is now named after him.

Cap-Haitien International Airport will now be called the Hugo Chávez International Airport, said Gary Bodeau, a spokesman for Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe.

The airport's 17,500-foot runway was repaved in October with a loan from the Venezuelan government.

The repair came just in time for the inauguration of an industrial park in the north that is largely financed by the U.S. government.

Like the U.S., Venezuela has been one of Haiti's biggest supporters. Following the 2010 earthquake Venezuela pledged $1.2 billion for Haiti, more than any other country, but has released just $222 million so far.

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Venezuela's PetroCaribe fund has also helped Haiti. Haiti has used millions of money from the pact that was created in 2005 to pay for fuel, renovate power stations and develop a social program for the country's poorest people.

Both Lamothe and President Michel Martelly attended Chávez's funeral and Martelly left Haiti on Thursday to attend the inauguration of Venezuelan President-elect Nicolás Maduro.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.

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