Abinader and Hipólito hold talks on the Haitian crisis

Santo Domingo, DR—President Luis Abinader and former President Hipólito Mejía held a meeting Friday, marking the end of the private discussions between the country’s top political leaders.

This latest meeting, like the previous ones, aimed to address issues related to the sociopolitical crisis unfolding in neighboring Haiti and its indirect impact on the Dominican Republic, as proposed by the Economic and Social Council (ESC).

two and a half hours

After more than two hours of discussion at Mejía’s residence, President Abinader expressed that the meeting with the former president and a team from the CES (Central Executive Committee) on the Haitian issue was “very productive.”

The president also stated that they discussed migration, security, trade, and communications, in addition to the CES topics, “to pursue a more unified policy regarding the increasingly serious problems in the Republic of Haiti.”

Abinader also asserted that there is a “sense” of collaboration with the other former presidents’ teams to establish a unified policy regarding the situation in the neighboring country.

Following the conclusion of this dialogue between political leaders, Abinader announced that a discussion will continue at the National Palace on July 23 with committees from all the areas covered in these discussions. Mejía, while not elaborating, said it was a very “profitable” meeting between all sectors, and that he is pleased and satisfied.

Amnesty International

Regarding Amnesty International’s position, which called on the Dominican government to halt mass deportations and respect human rights, President Abinader reiterated his disagreement with this statement, asserting that the organization lacks the “moral authority” to comment on the country’s position on the crisis.

“Let Amnesty also go fight the gangs in Haiti; let them go fight the gangs in Haiti, let them go help, and let them do what we’ve been doing. We’ve been calling on the international community to address this problem for three years, and they’re leaving Haiti alone. We have to make the decisions to keep our country safe,” he exclaimed.

This is the third meeting Abinader has held with former presidents. On June 26, he met with former President Danilo Medina, and on July 3, he met with former Governor Leonel Fernández. Of the three, the meeting with Hipólito Mejía was the longest, lasting from 10:40 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.