President Abinader returned at 11pm on Monday, 21 March 2022 after an intense day in San José, Costa Rica where he traveled for what is now regarded as the IV Summit of the Alliance for Development in Democracy (ADD). ADD is the regional alliance between President Abinader and his colleagues President Carlos Alvarado Quesada of Costa Rica and President Laurentino Cortizo Cohen of Panama.
The Declaration of San José reaffirmed the three president’s willingness to work decisively in promoting concrete actions for the economic growth of their peoples, based on respect for human rights, sustainability and democratic values. The heads of state again back sustainable and inclusive economic recovery, the fight against climate change, the attention to people’s health needs, the creating of decent jobs, under the indisputable premise that today’s actions will shape tomorrow’s realities.
The presidents also said the strengthening of regional supply chains is a priority for trade and investment. They pledged to guarantee public policies that promote shared investment objectives that foster a strategic alliance to increase trade flows. The three countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in December 2021 to this purpose.
The San Jose Declaration states the United States of America is a strategic ally of the Alliance, with whom the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Panama share the common objectives of strengthening, in democracy and freedom, competitiveness, socioeconomic development and job creation, through trade and investment.
“In this context, we communicate the agreement reached with the United States of America to work together to strengthen our economic integration, the promotion of greater trade and investment flows, the reduction of vulnerabilities in the supply chains and the optimal use of the geographical proximity of our markets, and the coincidence of interests between our nations,” the document states.
The declaration calls for a new working group between the DR, Costa Rica, Panama and the United States to analyze the implementation of concrete proposals for the countries to more efficiently be part of the supply chains of US companies, especially in key areas of the manufacturing and services sectors.
The heads of state also agreed to request multilateral organizations to establish rapid emergency lines of credit and debt guarantee mechanisms to provide financing to the different countries in times of crisis.
Another point of the declaration is the agreement to promote the establishment financing to local governments and public institutions not belonging to central governments, without sovereign guarantees and to request debt relief from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for middle-income countries to promote debt sustainability over time.
The three countries also condemned the use of force and the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by the offensive deployed by Russia. The declaration highlights that the actions by Russia pose a serious threat to international peace and security and contravene the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of its General Assembly and international law. “We support the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, in his call for the cessation of hostilities, and to enhance the application of moderation and reason,” the document states.
President Abinader had traveled to Costa Rica on a private jet with Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Alvarez, Industry & Commerce Minister Victor (Ito) Bisonó and Hacienda Minister Jose Manuel (Jochi) Vicente. The trade ministers of the participating countries met with the private sector, and the finance ministers met with the presidents of the regional development banks, Dante Mossi of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), Mauricio Claver-Carone of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and Sergio Díaz-Granados of the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF). The regional banks and the private sector also held a working session. The Dominican business delegation that accompanied the President was composed of Samuel Conde, Roberto Herrera, Edwin De Los Santos, William Malamud, José Manuel Torres and Richard Feinberg.
In Costa Rica, Abinader met with US Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment of the United States, José Fernández to discuss bilateral and world issues. As reported by the Dominican Presidency, US Assistant Secretary of State Fernandez congratulated President Abinader for his excellent handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s position in the main world issues today.
At the end of the day, President Quesada of Costa Rica accompanied President Abinader to the event marking the naming of a park and school in honor of the Dominican Republic in San José, the capital of Costa Rica. Two children, including one of Dominican origin, unveiled a plaque on the bust of the father of the Dominican Republic, Juan Pablo Duarte, located in the park.
The Alliance for Development in Democracy was born of an informal meeting of the three statesmen during the UN General Assembly in September 2021. The first official summit took place in Panama, a second in the Dominican Republic. The next meeting will be held in September 2022 during the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations.
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Presidency
Listin Diario
Presidency
DR1 News
22 March 2022