President Leonel Fernandez will receive an award from the World Tourism Organization in Madrid when he travels there on 17 May. President Fernandez will be in Madrid for the Summit of Presidents and Heads of Government of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean set for 17-18 May, as reported in Listin Diario. WTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai said that the DR leads in the Caribbean due to efforts to attract investments and new markets, primarily from Europe.
Dominican ambassador Cesar Medina met with him in his office in Madrid and extended an invitation from President Fernandez for Rifai to attend the summit of presidents and heads of government in Santo Domingo on 2 June to discuss Haiti. Present at the meeting was the regional representative for the Americas for the World Tourism Organization Carlos Yogeler, and Michel Julian, of the WTO, a Dominican national.
During his trip to Europe, Fernandez will also travel to Italy. The government has announced that his agenda in Rome will include a visit to the Vatican.