The Presidency announced that US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic during the last week of November 2025. The high-level meeting is set to further coordinate joint efforts in the fight against drug trafficking, a move intended to enhance bilateral cooperation.
The upcoming visit follows what both nations have deemed a “successful collaboration” in counter-narcotics efforts. Hegseth’s arrival is expected to bolster and expand the measures and results achieved by the two countries to date.
President Abinader emphasized the ongoing intensity of the struggle and the necessity of continued partnership.
“We continue to work with the United States because this is a strong fight, especially with some countries that have increased drug production, particularly cocaine,” President Luis Abinader remarks in his official statement announcing the visit.
The Presidency also highlighted a recent development underscoring the success of the collaboration. Due to the country’s effective results in the drug fight and US confidence in those outcomes, the Dominican Government, at the initiative of the United States, has nominated Dominican citizen Leandro Villanueva for the position of Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). If confirmed, Villanueva would be the first Dominican to hold the prestigious post.
Further details regarding the Secretary of Defense’s visit are expected to be released in the coming days.
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Presidency
Diario Libre
25 November 2025