Santo Domingo.- A commission appointed by President Luis Abinader to address the impact of the Haitian crisis in the Dominican Republic held discussions with US Congress members and their teams on Wednesday. The commission highlighted the significant challenge faced by the Dominican Republic in terms of national security due to the multidimensional crisis affecting Haiti, particularly the destabilization caused by criminal gangs controlling parts of the country.
During the meetings held at the United States House of Representatives, the Dominican commission, comprised of representatives from political parties, the government, and academia, expressed support for the Haitian government’s proposal to request an international force from the United Nations Security Council. The purpose of this force would be to assist the Haitian national police in restoring peace and stability to the country.
The discussions also touched on the need for assistance in formulating a medium and long-term economic development plan, with the support of multilateral institutions, as well as efforts to promote institutional strengthening and establish a stable political climate.
The delegation emphasized the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both nations. They reiterated the Dominican Republic’s foreign policy doctrine that there is no unilateral Dominican solution to the Haitian problem.
Furthermore, details were provided regarding the Dominican government’s project to construct a border perimeter fence. This initiative aims to safeguard national sovereignty, combat criminal gangs, enhance bilateral trade control, regulate migration to combat human trafficking, address drug trafficking, illegal arms sales, and protect ranchers and agricultural producers.
The Dominican delegation engaged in productive discussions with members of the United States House of Representatives, including Democrats Bill Pascrell from New Jersey and Adriano Espaillat from New York, as well as Republicans Mario Diaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar from Florida. Additionally, meetings were held with the teams of Democrats Frederica Wilson from Miami-Dade and Susan Wild from Pennsylvania.
The Dominican delegation consisted of prominent individuals, including Dr. Juan Daniel Balcácer, President of the Dominican Academy of History; Andrés Lugo Risk, Administrative Vice Minister of the Presidency and Secretary of Inter-Party Relations of the PRM; José Julio Gómez, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Secretary of the PRM; Deputy Lila Alburquerque, former President of the PRSC Chamber of Deputies; Pelegrín Castillo, former Minister of Energy and Mines of the FNP; Maritza López, President of the PAL; and Alexander de la Rosa, Senate Adviser and former Ambassador to Israel.