The Dominican Republic has boosted its relations with the Caribbean by strengthening its diplomatic presence and concrete actions for reciprocal rapprochement, including political consultations, increased trade, and high-level official visits.
As a result of the renewed interest in regional neighbors, the presidents of Guyana, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and Suriname, Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi, officially visited the country this year and a meeting between the Prime Minister of Jamaica and Dominican President Luis Abinader has already been announced.
Visit of senator
Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaican Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade was in Santo Domingo this week, with whom her Dominican counterpart, Roberto Alvarez, signed several agreements.
Cooperation agreements were also signed with Ali and Santokhi and the possibility was opened for the Dominican Republic to participate in the exploitation of the energy resources that these two South American countries have in abundance.
The discoveries of oil deposits in Suriname and Guyana have boosted their economies and the demand for products that, such as food and light manufacturing, the Dominican Republic is in a position to supply.
Apart from improving traditionally cool relations with the Caribbean, the Dominican diplomatic offensive is focused on seeking common positions in both the Organization of American States and the United Nations and its agencies.
Diplomatic advances
The work of the Dominican missions in Trinidad and Tobago (concurrence in Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname), Antigua and Barbuda, and Jamaica -from where the Bahamas is covered- has been improved and an embassy was opened in Guyana. Efforts have also been made to pool a regional policy towards Haiti, to whose pacification three Caribbean countries have committed themselves.
Jamaica has great political strength in the region, manifested in a recognized leadership in the Caribbean Community (Caricom), whose headquarters are in Guyana.
After a failed attempt, the Dominican Republic has apparently desisted from belonging to this regional scheme, of which Haiti is a member.
It is likely to be one of the items on the agenda of Premier Andrew Michael Holness and President Abinader.
Minister Johnson Smith gave a conference at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex) and then signed with Alvarez the Framework Cooperation Agreement between the governments of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic, and a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Jamaica and the Institute of Higher Education in Diplomatic and Consular Training (INESDYC) of the Dominican Republic to promote collaboration between the respective diplomatic academies.
ProDominicana, led by Biviana Riveiro Disla, complements diplomatic efforts with efforts to increase exports to the region.
Increasing business
In recent statements she said: “We are deploying concrete actions to increase business with the countries of the Caribbean region and improve the conditions of access of Dominican products to this region, enabling different instruments”.
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