SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, CMC—The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, has pledged to work in direction of normalizing relations with neighboring Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Spanish-speaking Spanish-speaking nation.
Throughout a press convention earlier this week with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Abinader mentioned the continued points in Haiti and the Dominican Republic’s efforts to handle them.
He additionally emphasised the federal government’s precedence of guaranteeing the protection of Dominicans.
The feedback have been made because the border between the 2 international locations has been largely closed for a yr following the Dominican Republic’s resolution to limit entry in response to Haiti’s building of a canal to divert water from a shared river.
Solely important items are traded, and flights between the 2 nations stay suspended.
Abinader acknowledged the assist from the U.S., together with the deployment of a peacekeeping power in Haiti, which he hopes will assist advance inside safety in Haiti and doubtlessly result in the reopening of journey between the international locations.
He harassed that whereas the Dominican Republic can not handle Haiti’s crises, his administration is concentrated on safety measures, together with a 174-kilometer border wall and ongoing deportations of Haitians.
In 2023, the Dominican Republic deported 250,000 Haitians, a transfer that the worldwide human rights watchdog Amnesty Worldwide criticized as discriminatory.
Blinken acknowledged Abinader’s management in addressing corruption and public administration and expressed the significance of regional efforts to assist Haiti overcome its disaster.
The 2 leaders additionally mentioned the upcoming Summit of the Americas within the Dominican Republic subsequent yr.
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