The Dominican Republic and Canada pledged to continue working towards resolving the serious crisis in Haiti, reported Wednesday by the DR Ministry of Foreign Relations (Mirex). Canada has said it will increase its staff in the embassies in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly is from Quebec, the province with the largest expat population from Haiti.
Through a statement, the Canadian Foreign Ministry explained that both nations committed to the international community “to support a long-term solution led by Haitians themselves to the ongoing crisis.”
In this regard, it was reported that coordination in Haiti, Canada and the DR will be expanded, including a greater diplomatic presence in the Canadian embassies in Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo.
The governments of Canada and the Dominican Republic issued a Joint Statement on 21 July. The foreign ministers of both countries are participating in the 53rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States.
Global Affairs Canada released the Joint Statement (English version) on 21 June 2023, from Ottawa, Ontario.
It states:
“Canada and the Dominican Republic (DR) have solid bilateral relations and are long-standing partners including on regional security matters.
“As underlined during President Abinader and Prime Minister Trudeau’s bilateral call last March 30, Canada and the DR are committed to strengthening their cooperation to help address the ongoing crisis in Haiti, with a view to supporting Haitian-owned and Haitian-led solutions for a return to stability.
“Both countries recognize that restoring stability to Haiti will reduce the significant burden on the Dominican Republic, its sole land neighbor, including social pressure and budget strains placed on the Dominican social services.
“Both countries agree that the scale of the crisis in Haiti requires enhanced international development cooperation, humanitarian, and security assistance. This includes capacity building through providing equipment, technical assistance, and training.
“Both countries recognize that efforts are already underway in Haiti through the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and through the deployment of additional resources by Canada and other partners, including through Canada’s recent announcement of an additional $100 million.
“Both countries acknowledge that the Dominican Republic has collaborated with the requests of Haitian authorities to consolidate security in that country, facilitate access to strategic goods such as fuel, and support the security of international diplomatic personnel stationed in Haiti, among other measures. Similarly, both countries recognize ongoing cooperation between governments of the region and the Haitian authorities including the United Nations as well as efforts led by the United States, Caricom and others, with the aim of restoring the rule of law in Haiti and alleviating food insecurity in the country.
“Canada and the DR are committed to continuing to work together and with the international community to support a Haitian-led long-term solution to the ongoing crisis. We will enhance coordination in Haiti, DR, Canada and other locations as required including through increased presence at the Canadian embassies in Port-au-Prince and Santo Domingo.”
The Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Dominican Republic released Spanish versions of the joint statement.
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N Digital
22 June 2023