Queen Letizia of Spain will be visiting Haiti and the Dominican Republic from 20-24 May 2018. During her visit she will tour development projects sponsored by the Spanish government in both countries. She will also gather more information on programs sponsored by the Spanish government that support gender equality, democratic governance and rural development, according to the Spanish government.
Spanish government secretary for international cooperation and Iberoamerica and the Caribbean, Fernando Garcia Casas, in making the announcement said the visit would contribute to “strengthening cooperation between two countries that have been predestined to collaborate together”. The visit will coincide with the “great steps” being taken by the government of Dominican President Danilo Medina “regarding the acquisition of nationality and social integration” of the Haitians.
García Casas responded to Senator José María Cazalis of the PNV, who had expressed to the Secretary of State his concern about the border problems between the two countries of the island of Hispaniola, calling it “a political issue that remains latent and that could degenerate” until it becomes “a time bomb.”
According to García Casas, the Spanish Cooperation has been involved in the solution of border problems between the two countries through various initiatives, such as the recent celebration of a seminar with mayors of the border towns to discuss the financing of a hospital in Barahona where Dominican doctors attend to Haitian patients free of cost. “Last year I visited the hospital and I hope that Her Majesty the Queen will visit him this time,” he added.
He said in the Americas, the Queen had visited cooperation projects in Honduras and El Salvador in 2015. Queen Letizia is continuing the legacy of Queen Sofia who made these types of visits to give more visibility to programs of humanitarian aide fostered by Spain abroad.
Read more in Spanish:
The Diplomat in Spain
7 May 2018
