The nationalization of Haitian immigrants living in the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela and energy issues are tops on the agenda of US Vice President Joe Biden who will be visiting next Tuesday. Biden will be here following a first stopover in Chile to attend the inaugural of President-elect Michelle Bachelet.
In a press briefing on Friday, 7 March at the White House, senior administration officials are on record:
Nationalization bill
“We are hopeful that there will be a conclusion to this matter through legislation that will address those most affected by that ruling,” stated the officer in the press conference.
“First of all, we recognize that every country has the sovereign right to determine its nationality laws and its domestic legislation. With respect to the constitutional court ruling, we've conveyed our deep concern to the government of the Dominican Republic regarding the impact on the citizenship status of persons living in the Dominican Republic, including those with longstanding either residence or close ties to the Dominican Republic. Our understanding is that perhaps as many as 200,000 people could be affected by this.
“We've engaged at senior levels with Dominican authorities who’ve been very transparent with us in discussing their approach to this and their desire to achieve a resolution that is nondiscriminatory and that reflects the need to have a just solution for people who have longstanding ties and connections to the Dominican Republic, and also to not further those groups that are already in a condition of vulnerability or that would be at risk in other senses, or deny them documentation and the ability to fully participate in the country -- they belong and where they live.
“So this is something that is important not just to us, but other members of the international community, and it's something that we've worked very closely on with a number of partners. And we know that other actors are also very active in dealing with this.
Venezuela and energy issues
Venezuela is the main fuel supplier to the Dominican Republic, and also the country’s leading creditor through PetroCaribe oil purchasing agreement. Nevertheless, in recent years, the DR has been fitting generator plants to source natural gas that now the US has more readily available, thus reducing its dependence on Venezuelan oil and PetroCaribe.
“The Vice President will place particular emphasis on the issue of energy security while he’s in the Dominican Republic, given the challenges and opportunities that have been created in recent years in the region, and our deep investment in making sure that all the countries of the Caribbean and the broad region are able to access secure, stable, and affordable supplies of energy to power their economies and provide better lives for their people,” stated the official.
“On energy issues, we have lots of collaboration already. But we’re very interested in expanding our leadership role and collaboration not just the United States, but also by working with Canada, Mexico, and other partners to help address some of the distortions and market issues that have affected the distribution of energy in the Caribbean. As my colleague mentioned, this is an area that’s important to us, because we see it as key to improving the competitiveness of the Caribbean and for Central America, for that matter, in the global economy.”
The US administration pointed out the strong ties with the Dominican Republic in the fact that ore than 1.5 million Dominicans and descendants live in the US and more than 250,000 US citizens live in the Dominican Republic, plus around 1.5 million US tourists visiting every year. Moreover, the US is a major beneficiary of the DR CAFTA trade agreement that has been key to an increase of US exports to the Dominican Republic. The US administration says that the DR is an important voice in issues facing Caribbean countries, as well as Central American countries, as the current president of the Central American Integration System through June 2014.
Also pointed out was the good collaboration with Dominican authorities in terms of security and law enforcement, and recent cooperation with the setting up of the 911 program in Santo Domingo. The officer said that the US government has underway programs for preventing HIV/AIDS, reducing vulnerability to climate change and strengthening government institutions.
The Vice President is traveling with his wife, Jill Biden, a well known US educator. It has been announced that she has her own agenda while in the Dominican Republic.
Background Press Briefing by Senior Administration Officials on the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden's Trip to Chile and the Dominican Republic | The White House
