The government of Canada is looking for a country to host a coordinating office to back the initiatives to strength the national police in Haiti. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly tweeted on 15 June 2023 that the government of Canada had 20 million dollars to install the office and had mentioned it would open in the Dominican Republic.
The Ministry of Foreign Relations and the Presidency of the Dominican Republic were prompt to reject the request for Canada to set up a regional office to back efforts to reinforce the Police in Haiti.
Joly’s counterpart, Foreign Relations Minister Roberto Alvarez took to Twitter early Friday, 16 June morning to send Canada the message of not so fast. “The Dominican Government can confirm that it has not discussed, agreed or granted any authorization for the installation in our territory of an office to coordinate support for the Haitian National Police,” said Alvarez in a tweet.
The government of Canada had stated the office would be to coordinate regional cooperation with the Haitian police. The plan was for the Dominican Republic to grant diplomatic immunity to foreign personnel of different nationalities working here to restore stability in Haiti, El Dia reported.
Joly had issued the remarks after a closed-door high-level gathering of regional foreign ministers Thursday, 15 June. Afterwards, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly had announced the opening of the “joint security coordination cell” in the neighboring Dominican Republic to help coordinate its assistance to the Haitian national police force. The initiative, according to press reports, carries a $20 million price tag. While announcing the new aid office in her opening remarks during an otherwise closed-door meeting, Joly even used “the opportunity to thank” her counterpart, Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez Gil, “for hosting this mechanism.”
After the official “no” from the Dominican Republic, the government of Canada would issue a note indicating that it would continue to seek a location for a joint security coordination cell. Foreign Minister Melanie Joly tweeted: “This cell will enhance international efforts in security assistance, working closely with the Haitian National Police and the United Nations to foster a sustainable environment for long-term peace and security in Haiti.”
On 15 June, Joly had also stated: “We also announced new sanctions on two additional individuals, imposing a dealings prohibition that effectively freezes any assets these individuals may hold in Canada and bars their entry to Canada.
Lastly, we announced $13 million in aid for Haiti through the UN Development Program and the UN Drugs and Crimes Office, helping to address both immediate and long term concerns.
Canada has been a long-time partner and ally of Haiti, and we will continue to work with the international community to advance a Haitian-led solution to the crisis.”
In a note in Reuters, Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that it continues to work with 20 countries and international organizations to strengthen Haitian police and increase Haiti’s security. Canada seeks a location “in close geographic proximity.”
The government of Canada had proposed establishing the presence in the Dominican Republic to support the coordination of assistance with the security issue in Haiti. The office would be for two to five years and would be located outside the Canadian Embassy, but would operate as a satellite unit.
Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez would explain on 16 June 2023 that the request had not be previously discussed or accepted by the Dominican government.
“The Dominican government confirms that it has not discussed, agreed or granted any authorization for the installation in our territory of an office to coordinate support to the Haitian National Police, as indicated by a Canadian media report,” the official stated on his Twitter account on 16 June 2023.
Canadian media such as Radio-Canada, Toronto Star and Canadian Press had echoed a report that an agreement had been reached to install in the Dominican Republic a Canadian office to assist Haiti.
Presidential spokesman, Homero Figueroa, assured that the Dominican government has not accepted and will not accept in the future any initiative that affects sovereignty, since, for historical reasons it cannot participate in any initiative that commits the country to direct actions in Haiti, nor that affects another country’s national sovereignty.
“For historical reasons the Dominican Republic cannot participate in any initiative that commits it to carry out direct actions in Haiti,” Figueroa said. “We will continue to advocate for the participation of the international community in a definitive solution.”
The Miami Herald reported: “Joly’s announcement on 15 June made headlines in Canada, which was hosting the meeting, and in Haiti, where it was the lead story Thursday and not well received by some Haitians, who viewed it as the latest example of a foreign government offering aid to Haiti but providing benefits to its neighbor next door. (To be fair, a number of aid agencies, Haitian businesses and at least one diplomatic mission in the last year has quietly relocated to Santo Domingo due to the dire security situation in Port-au-Prince).”
Read more:
Hoy
Hoy
El Dia
Noticias SIN
Listin Diario
Listin Diario
Twitter Melanie Joly
Twitter Melanie Joly
The St Kitts Nevis Observer
The Miami Herald
Reuters
19 June 2023