President Luis Abinader spoke up for Haiti during his six-minute participation during the plenary of the 7th Latin American and Caribbean Summit (CELAC) held in Buenos Aires, Argentina 23-24 January to call for action from the international community to resolve the multidimensional crisis in Haiti.
Abinader was blunt about how the situation in Haiti is a threat to the Dominican Republic. The collapse of social services and job opportunities in Haiti now compounded by gang controls places a major burden on government finances, health and security in the Dominican Republic. Abinader reiterated at the regional forum that the solution to the serious problems in Haiti are not in Dominican hands.
He said: “The call of the Haitian government to create a robust military force that would allow the Haitian National Police to better confront the criminal organizations that today control Port-au-Prince, and that sow insecurity among a people who demand the right to live in peace, has not yet been answered.”
The head of state also said that without this aid, the lamentations that afflict Haitians will continue, the impact of which is seen in neighboring nations and the region.
Abinader called on the international community to pave the way for Haiti to hold free elections and get out of that nation’s political crisis.
During his speech at the VII Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the President said: “We urge that the sanctions committee established in UN Security Council Resolutions 2645 and 2653 begin to operate formally, that the measures taken unilaterally by some states be backed by the binding framework of international law.”
He said the Haitian government’s call for international help to create a robust military force that would allow the Haitian National Police to confront better the criminal organizations that today control between 60% and 70% of Port-au-Prince and that sow insecurity and unrest among a people who demand the right to live in peace have not yet been answered.
Referring to the crisis in Haiti, President Abinader said that it is of such magnitude that it continues to worsen, so the international community must act immediately.
“Without that help, we can be sure that we will continue to lament the suffering that afflicts Haiti,” said President Luis Abinader.
He said that the Dominican Republic will continue to offer the Haitian people all the support within our reach. Still, he reiterated that the solution to such a serious problem is not in our hands.
Prime Minister of Bahamas Philip Davis called for regional attention to the serious issues in Haiti and provide assistance to Haiti to overcome the crisis. Bahamas is impacted by Haitian migration. Davis is chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
“The tragic situation in Haiti continues to pose a substantial threat, not only to Haitians but also to the Bahamas and neighboring countries, which are experiencing a significant increase in irregular and often dangerous migration,” he said during his address to the CELAC plenary.
The summit’s agenda includes safety and security in the region, climate change, and the crisis in Haiti. The attending Presidents and heads of state were: Alberto Fernandez (Argentina), Lula Da Silva (Brazil), Luis Lacalle Pou (Uruguay), Mario Abdo Benítez (Paraguay), Gabriel Boric (Chile), Gustavo Petro (Colombia), Miguel Diaz Canel (Cuba), Luis Arce (Bolivia), Xiomara Castro (Honduras), Mia Mottley (Barbados), Philip Davis (Bahamas), Ariel Henry (Haiti) and Luis Abinader (Dominican Republic).
The plenary elected Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the rotating presidency of CELAC for 2023-24. Gonsalves in the past has held strong positions against the Dominican Republic not taking on more Haitian migration.
Read more:
Presidency
Hoy
El Caribe
Noticias SIN
Diario Libre
25 January 2023