President Luis Abinader clarified yesterday that the country will not invest funds in the construction of hospitals in Haiti, as was implied in a bilateral agreement disclosed on the eve. “What the Dominican Republic is going to do, and it’s important to clarify that, is to be a channeler and facilitator of these aids,” Abinader said at a news conference at the National Palace.
The head of state assured that next week will begin meetings with the ambassadors of the countries most closely linked to Haiti, including Canada, the United States, France and Germany, to discuss the financing of these two hospitals.
The government released last Tuesday during an event at the National Palace, a joint statement signed during the meeting held by Abinader with his Haitian counterpart, Jovenel Moise, which took place last Sunday during a tour of the southern border.
This nine-point statement states that “with the collaboration of the international community that has shown its willingness to fund hospitals in Haiti, the two presidents are committed to cooperating in the construction of general hospitals in Haitian territory, located where the government of that country deems it appropriate, in order to reduce the intensive use of Dominican hospitals. “
Abinader himself, last November, said his country cannot fund the large number of Haitian women giving birth in Dominican hospitals, a statement that caused unease in Port-au-Prince.
The leaders also undertook to collaborate in the process of identifying and registering Haitians residing in Dominican territory in the Haitian Civil Registry. In addition, the start of a negotiation process to delimit the maritime borders between the two countries, and a commitment by both parties to monitor the border in order to combat the irregular migratory flow, human trafficking, human trafficking. arms, drug trafficking and cattle theft, as well as to strengthen cooperation in energy, agricultural and industrial production and to continue negotiations aimed at reaching a trade agreement.
favorable reactions
Yesterday several Dominican political actors and officials began to express their views on the issue, most of them in favor of such approaches.
Among those who supported the initiative is the former chancellor of the government of Danilo Medina, Andrés Navarro: “I see very well that it seems the step that the Dominican government has been taking in seeking to strengthen relations with Haiti and this agreement is very positive in an attempt to formalize a new attempt to formalize a bilateral route of work with the Haitian government, “he told Listín Dairio.
The member of the political committee of the opposition Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) explained that all points are “very important”, but that the main thing is the first to establish that the two nations are willing to work in the process of identification and registration in the Haitian civil registry of all Haitian citizens who are in Dominican territory. “When I was chancellor, especially in the framework of regularization we made a great effort, one of the requirements that had to present those who were going to enter the National Plan of Regularization was a documentation of his country and we obtained that the embassy of them would be granted to them, “the former official detailed.
Yesterday it was tried to contact also the ex-chancellor Miguel Vargas, but it did not offer declarations.
institutionalization
While the Progressive National Force (FNP) called the joint statement “very positive and promising” however, they warned government authorities to stay on the lookout for the Republic of Haiti’s electoral process. “We also consider very valid the interest expressed by the presidential statement on the need for the Haitian people and their leaders to strengthen the institutionalization of the democratic and rule of law state in Haiti, as long as the Dominican Republic maintains a prudent distance on this complex and conflicting situation, “he said in a statement.
As the president of the Christian Social Reform Party (PRSC), Federico Antun, said that the issues agreed between the two leaders correspond to the recommendations that the PRSC has publicly raised at various times, so he understands that this agreement is a step forward “because it is the beginning of the implementation of a public policy with respect to the neighboring country.”