With his term soon to end, Indian ambassador Rabu Abaggani in an interview with El Nuevo Diario expressed his gratitude to the country where he learned Spanish. Abaggani has served since January 2022 to present. He has praise for the country’s “charming warmth”.
In the interview he highlighted how he traveled all around the country, and how the place he found most impressive was climbing to the top of Duarte Peak, regarded as the tallest mountain in the Caribbean. He called the natural beauty of the country “a dream turned reality.” He recalls his visits to Montecristi, Pedernales, Bahia de las Aguilas, Monte Plata, Samana, Las Terrenas and Punta Cana.
He described most of the Dominicans he met when traveling all around the country as simple, kind, loving and very open-hearted.
He spoke of the little known trade relations between both countries. The Dominican Republic exports gold and silver ore to India for refining, making India the 5th largest export market. Other exports are cacao and tobacco. The DR imports pharmaceuticals from India.
The ambassador said that there are now 30 Indian companies established here, mainly in the areas of pharmaceuticals, automotive, information technologies and software. There is also an Indian oxygen-producing industrial plant installed in Santiago.
He said the number of Indian migrants is such now that there are at least five Indian restaurants located in Santo Domingo and Santiago. He drew parallels between the gastronomy of India and the Dominican Republic and says he felt very much at home with Dominican cooking.
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Read more in Spanish:
El Nuevo Diario
Ramu Abbagani
12 June 2025