President Luis Abinader traveled on Tuesday, 10 March 2026 to Chile to participate in the inaugural ceremony of new Chilean leader, Jose Antonio Kast Rist. He is accompanied by First Lady Raquel Arbaje, Minister of Foreign Relations Roberto Alvarez and his daughter Adriana Abinader Arbaje.
The Presidency reports Abinader attended on 10 March a first protocol greeting at La Moneda Palace.
Following the greeting, the head of state attended a reception for heads of state and government hosted by outgoing President Gabriel Boric for the invited international delegations.
The official agenda continues on Wednesday, 11 March with the presidential inaugural and the swearing-in of the new cabinet. The event will take place at the National Congress in Valparaíso, where José Antonio Kast will receive the presidential sash and formally assume the presidency of Chile.
Later, President Abinader will attend a luncheon hosted by President José Antonio Kast and the First Lady of Chile, María Pía Adriasola de Kast, in honor of the visiting heads of state and invited dignitaries.
During the inauguration events (10–11 March 2026), the following priorities and potential agreements are at the forefront of their agenda with a focus on security and trade.
President Abinader’s trip to Chile follows a significant period of diplomatic momentum between the two leaders, specifically focused on border security and trade. Abinader had shared time with Kast during the participation of both in the Shield of the Americas Summit in Miami, Florida on 7 March 2026. Kast as President-elect had already taken time to visit the Dominican Republic.
The heads of state are expected to further talks for anti-narcotics cooperation after the newly formed military coalition against drug cartels with the United States government. The project is supported by the National Drug Control Agency (DNCD) and Chilean counterpart as part of regional security alliances motivated by the Trump administration.
During his visit in January 2026, Kast toured the border fence with Haiti in Dajabon. Then he expressed interest in replicating the Dominican “integral border control” model in Chile. He has proposed a “border trench” to curb irregular migration. In Chile, the talks are likely to formalize technical exchanges regarding surveillance technology and border management strategies.
President Abinader has explicitly voiced interest in a new bilateral trade agreement centered on specific products:
One of the most outstanding activities on the Chile agenda is efforts to push forward the so-called “Wine for Cigars” Proposal. A key objective is a deal where Chilean wines can enter the Dominican Republic duty-free in exchange for Dominican cigars entering Chile without taxes. Likewise, the leaders recently agreed to “re-launch” a bilateral Commerce Committee to boost trade in tourism and infrastructure.
The Dominican high-level mission is scheduled to return on Wednesday, 11 March in the evening.
Read more in Spanish:
Presidency
11 March 2026