Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas Maldonado announced the signing of two cooperation agreements with the Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) located in Laredo, Texas. The university is part of the Texas A&M University System. The agreements were signed by Vargas and Pablo Arenaz, president of TAMIU at the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Santo Domingo. Maria Eugenia Calderón-Porter, assistant vice president for global initiatives of the university, signed as a witness.
TAMIU will be backing the local Institute of Higher Education in Diplomatic and Consular Training (Instituto de Educación Superior en Formación Diplomática y Consular – Inesdyc), the higher learning center at the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
As per the other agreement, TAMIU will consult with the Dominican Republic on the organization and development of maritime and land borders, seeking to foster a greater exchange of goods. Vargas explained the background of the agreement. He recalled that TAMIU was entrusted with the technical coordination of the Laredo Initiative he had signed with the representatives of the government of Haiti on 6 December 2016 to implement a version of the successful model implemented at the border pass of Laredo, Texas, between Mexico and the United States. Vargas said that the initiative had lead Laredo, Texas to become an example for world trade, with more than US$215 billion going through the border in 2018.
Vargas highlighted the importance of trade with Haiti, recalling that in 2018 trade was more than RD$800 million. He highlighted that a well-managed border creates jobs and the environmental conditions for sustainable development. “At the Ministry of Foreign Relations we are firmly convinced that the successful model of the Laredo Initiative will contribute to improving the current border crossings, increasing bilateral trade, supporting industrial development and attracting more binational companies, as well as stimulating improvements in the infrastructure in the area.”
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Mirex
17 April 2019