The Dominican Minister of Foreign Affairs calls for more swift action regarding the security crisis in Haiti

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, Víctor Bisonó, has lamented the "lack of continuity" and efficiency of international measures to respond to the security crisis in Haiti and has called for greater speed in tackling a situation that has a major impact on his country. "The Dominican Republic might be the first bulwark... the borders are like a shockwave, and this shockwave from the Haitian problem reaching first is hitting the Dominican Republic," highlighted the Foreign Minister on Tuesday in an interview with Europa Press coinciding with his visit to Madrid to participate in the XXX Ibero-American Summit. Beyond the assistance his country can receive to serve as that containment wall he referred to, Bisonó emphasized that it is the government of the neighboring country that needs support. "Haiti has to solve its problem with its people, with its own initiative and by supporting them," he noted. In this regard, he regretted the "lack of continuity" in implementing these support policies and cited the still incomplete deployment of international UN forces to stabilize the security crisis caused by gang territorial control, mainly due to bureaucratic hurdles and slow payments from major powers. Bisonó stated that this deployment "has been going on for a long time" and that the Dominican Republic has done everything within its power according to its specific circumstances. "We have contributed 20 million dollars to the fund and we have provided logistics... it is impossible for us to participate directly, but indirectly in everything we could give, we have been present," he asserted. "Undoubtedly, we wish things were faster, more efficient, and more successful," pointed out the Dominican minister, who stressed that the stability of his country and Haiti are linked. "If Haiti had peace, where would the Haitians go? In Haiti. And if they had peace, with the capacity to progress, money in their pockets, what would they do? They would buy more products from the Dominican Republic, which has significant trade with them," added the Dominican minister. On the other hand, he supported the presence of Salvadoran forces in Haiti to recover their men since his neighbor has approved it. "We would never bet on the intervention of another country... We understand that El Salvador's troops are with the consent of the Haitian government and will help the police forces fight the gangs," he specified. Bisonó avoided speculating about the situation of the four Salvadoran military personnel who were ambushed by these criminal groups a few weeks ago. "We wish they were alive; we are betting on it. But the truth is that there is an atmosphere of total insecurity, of gang control," he said. "What we always want is to bet on the support of Haitian authorities, that with the forces Haiti has—which are few and beginning to be trained and equipped—the gangs can be fought, and that Haiti can regain its stability and institutional structure," he affirmed. Thus, he emphasized that that "shockwave" from the security crisis in Haiti is hitting Dominican public services and linked the collapse of, for example, medical services to the irregular arrival of Haitians fleeing the grave situation in their country. Bisonó stated that the strong presence of irregular migrants from Haiti has caused a 30% increase in the health service. "People who are in the Dominican Republic and do not contribute to the system that sustains it," he said. Therefore, he delved into the urgency of generating development opportunities and institutional peace in Haiti so that its citizens are not forced to migrate. "We are betting that democracy, freedom, equality of opportunity, and that resources are used in the best way so that people do not have to think about immigrating, but instead have opportunities where they live and can fulfill the contributions they must make to the best of their ability," he elaborated. IBERO-AMERICAN SUMMIT Bisonó is currently in Madrid to attend the Ibero-American Summit held this Wednesday and Thursday, a forum that the Dominican government attends with the goal of sharing its experience in economic development and social tranquility, which has seen the country grow by 5% over the last decade. The Dominican chancellor explained that "it seems that the world is changing" towards more conservative and free-market oriented positions, as well as towards certain economic pragmatism and efficiency, and this is where his country's experience can serve as a reference for the rest of its Ibero-American partners. "We think we have a great responsibility because we can convey the experience that we have maintained with social, economic, and political tranquility displayed in the Dominican Republic, which is the basis for that 5% growth per decade and somewhat acceptable inflation," he said. "We continue to receive significant foreign direct investment, 5.5 billion last year. We are going to surpass this, and our exports are growing. That is the spirit of being here, of transcending, of being able to present what has been our growth and see how we can radiate it in Ibero-America," he noted. RELATION WITH THE UNITED STATES The chancellor also analyzed the commercial and geopolitical impact of the relationship between the Dominican Republic and the United States and highlighted the "interesting" figure of his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, to whom he attributed the merit of bringing Latin America into focus "for the first time in a long time." "For the first time, attention has been paid to Latin America after a long time, and that is also due to Secretary Marco Rubio," highlighted the Dominican minister, who pointed out the relevance of his country as a key partner for Washington, as well as an "important border" against illicit economies and organized crime. Bisonó also referenced the impact of the tariff impositions by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the challenges of meeting these restrictions and other commitments, such as the security investment that comes with his presence in the 'Shield of the Americas' promoted by Washington. Finally, regarding the future of regional dialogue in multilateral settings like the Organization of American States (OAS), or a potential Summit of the Americas, the Dominican Foreign Minister expressed confidence that they can be used to align the countries in the region with common interests. "It would be a good opportunity for President Trump or the US government... to unite what we are more or less aligned on regarding the best interests of democracy and freedom," he concluded.