President Luis Abinader met yesterday with the King of Spain, Felipe VI, at the Royal Palace of the Pardo and discussed issues of vaccination, the global economic crisis and bilateral relations.
On vaccination, to defeat the coronavirus, both the King and the Dominican president agreed to highlight the difficulties faced by poor nations in acquiring vaccines and thus protecting their populations.
As for the global economic crisis, they also agreed that the coronavirus has been the main enemy for investment, job losses, tourism and production in general.
However, President Abinader and King Philip VI decided to join forces for Spain and the Dominican Republic to strengthen their bilateral relations.
Visit to the King
The president went to the Royal Palace accompanied by the Spanish side, by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for Latin America and the Caribbean, Cristina Gallach, and by the Spanish ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Alejandro Abellán.
On the Dominican side, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez, attended; the ambassador to Spain, Juan Bolívar Díaz; the director of protocol of the Chancellery, Francisco Cantizano; Lourdes Herrera and Eilyn Beltrán, assistants to the President.
The King received Abinader, on the occasion of his visit to Spain for the XXVII Iberoamerican Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held in Andorra.
The Dominican president is expected to arrive in Andorra on Tuesday, accompanied by the president of Guatemala, Alejandro Gianmattei, who will arrive with the king, who invited them to leave on his plane.
Prime Minister
President Abinader was also received yesterday by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, at the Palacio de la Moncloa, as part of his official visit.
The president arrived at the headquarters of the Spanish government at 12:30, local time, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez; the Dominican ambassador to Spain, Juan Bolívar Díaz, and the director of ProDominicana, Biviana Riveiro.
“We are talking about vaccination and recovery after the pandemic and about cooperation between our countries. We share a close bilateral relationship in many sectors that we want to continue strengthening,” President Sanchez said on his Twitter account after the meeting. .
Prior to the visit to President Sánchez, the Dominican ruler held a meeting with important Spanish businessmen, those with large investments in the Dominican Republic.
Abinader stated that his Government will always be open and willing to support everything that generates jobs in the Dominican Republic to improve the quality of life of the people.
This meeting, held at the headquarters of Casas de las Américas, helped Spanish entrepreneurs show their willingness to continue investing in the country.
Spanish investors expressed confidence in the willingness shown from the outset by the first president in favor of investments and job creation.
good predictions
Abinader predicted that the country’s economic recovery will be above average in Latin America, most likely, the world average.
The president spoke when participating in an interview conducted by the journalist and president of the EFE Agency, Gabriela Cañas, in the program Tribuna EFE Casa d’América.
Abinader expressed his optimism that the tourism sector, which is still at the pre-Covid level, will gradually change to return to normal by the end of this year.
He stressed that the Dominican Republic is moving towards a real economic recovery, and gave as an example that in Punta Cana with the hotel sectors are becoming producer markets so that the producers themselves can sell directly to hotels avoiding costly intermediation.
He stressed that his government promotes transparency, and drives the fight against corruption and the elimination of impunity. “I am in politics to help the country, for a passion for public service,” he said.
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Covid vaccination. Referring to the vaccination process, he stressed that the country has reached perhaps the best levels of vaccination, not only in Latin America but worldwide, in relation to the population.
Invest in the country.
Abinader enumerated yesterday in front of Spanish entrepreneurs the multiple business opportunities of the country, becoming the first investment destination in the Caribbean. He spoke at the second business meeting at the Gabriela Mistral Amphitheater in Casa América.
The dilemma with Haiti
President Luis Abinader yesterday considered that the international community should have more responsibility for the situation of political and social instability in Haiti, and denied that the construction of a wall on the border is part of a migration policy.
Abinader explained that this country is experiencing moments of great social irritation and that the Dominican Republic is taking measures to ensure security.
“The perimeter fence with a technology area is going to help Haiti a lot in terms of customs revenue, which currently has a great lack of control,” he indicated.
He argued that the Dominican Republic has a good relationship with all sectors of Haiti and is willing, without participating, to promote an atmosphere of reconciliation and that this arbitration is believed as he has spoken bilaterally with European leaders to participate. “But the international community should not leave us alone on the Haitian issue,” Abinader said.