France and Dominican Republic launch digital portal for shared historical archives

Santo Domingo.- The National Archives of France has launched a bilingual digital portal providing public access to historical documents related to the French presence in Santo Domingo and the Spanish part of the island, now the Dominican Republic.

The project marks a new stage in archival cooperation between the two countries, offering broad and systematic access to historical sources preserved in French archives.

The portal contains documents dating from 1795 to the present and is part of a cooperation agreement signed on June 25, 2025, between the General Archive of the Nation (AGN) of the Dominican Republic and the Archives Directorate of France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

The agreement also calls for the creation of catalogs and descriptive guides to make the collections easier for researchers and the public to access.

The initiative builds on previous cooperation between the AGN and France’s Interministerial Archives Service (SIAF), which coordinates the Overseas National Archives and National Archives.

The portal was officially presented during a ceremony at the National Archives of France attended by representatives of archival institutions from both countries, including AGN Director Roberto Cassá, French archival officials and Dominican Ambassador to France David Puig.

The initiative aims to preserve and make accessible the shared historical heritage of France and the Dominican Republic, supporting researchers, citizens and future generations in exploring the countries’ intertwined history.