The directors of the customs agencies of the Dominican Republic and Haiti signed an information exchange protocol that would be applicable for trade over the border. Victor Hugo Saint Louis, signed for Haiti and Enrique Ramírez for the Dominican Republic. The agreement seeks to create mechanisms to reduce contraband and tax evasion at the border while facilitating legitimate commerce between the two countries. At the same time, the government officials had participated in the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee for the implementation of the Customs Cooperation Agreement.
The signing follows up on the memorandum of understanding to this end, signed by both customs agencies directors on 20 October 2016, which was based on a previous memorandum of understanding that was signed in February 2014.
Haiti is the second largest trade partner of the Dominican Republic, only behind the United States. Trade with Haiti is estimated at more than US$1 billion a year.
Also participating in the meeting for the DGA were technical deputy directors Gabino Polanco, William Espinosa of Operations, Jose Guillermo Quiñones, legal advisor; Patria Matos Paulino, technical coordinator and Lisbeth Carrasco, of economic studies. For Haiti, the participants were: Reynald Eugene, general deputy director; Gaston Sylvestre, secretary general; Jn. Marie Réginal Timmer, rulings director; Jeantal Clairvil, director of the programming unit; Marie Florence P. Alouidor, deputy director of the Central Office and Jean Ronald Benjamin, deputy director of the Sidonia customs automation system in Haiti.
22 March 2017
