Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas called for a better balance in relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic. He spoke at the Center for Latin American Studies at the Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. as part of Dominican Week USA events.
“We consider that our common work platform calls for changes in the relationship to achieve greater balance among equal partners, based on mutual respect,” Vargas said in his talk, as shared in a Ministry of Foreign Relations press release.
Vargas Maldonado forthrightly spoke of frictions between the two countries in regards to the Dominican Republic as a bridge for drug and human trafficking. Vargas also mentioned the difference of opinion on human rights criteria in the Dominican Republic’s migratory policies.
Vargas said that there should be recognition that common fundamental values should make space for true dialogue reflecting the maturity of the relationship. “We would like, for example, that the United States use the corresponding diplomatic channels to avoid public judgments that do not adequately reflect the complexity of the cases and can be damaging to the reputation of the country,” he stated.
He called for more cooperation to address drug trafficking so that both nations can achieve the common goal of reducing the use of illegal drugs in both nations. Vargas stressed that there needs to be shared responsibility to tackle the drug problem.
The Dominican Republic should export more to the United States, with which it maintains a large trade deficit. The United States is the leading trade partner of the Dominican Republic. The DR is the largest importer of US goods in the Central American and Caribbean region, and the 8th largest in the Western Hemisphere. Approximately two million Dominicans live in the Unites States and an estimated 250,000 US citizens live in the Dominican Republic. The US is the main source of visitors to the Dominican Republic, direct foreign investment and remittances.
Vargas Maldonado took advantage of his visit to Georgetown University to sign several agreements. He also signed agreements to promote exchanges with George Washington University.
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El Dia
MIREX
12 May 2017
