Representatives of the Dominican Republic, the United States and Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries signed the Joint Statement for the 7th Dialogue on Caribbean-United States Security Cooperation. The signing took place at the closing of the two-day dialogue that took place on 29 and 30 November 2017 at the Ministry of Foreign Relations convention center in Santo Domingo.
The joint statement is a commitment of the countries to work in 2018 to reduce all types of illicit trafficking, advance public security, promote social justice and welcome the necessary international cooperation to achieve these objectives.
After two days of discussions, the representatives of security agencies of the participating countries promised to fight against transnational criminal and terrorist organizations, curb the smuggling of goods, migrants and human trafficking, as well as improve citizen security, border security and implement a regional maritime strategy.
The meetings brought together over 200 officials from security agencies of the Dominican Republic, Caricom and US experts to discuss strategies to fight transnational crime under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) begun under the Barack Obama administration in 2010. Representatives came from Antigua & Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Lucia and Suriname and the United States.
