President Danilo Medina hosted a visit by US State Department Counselor, Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon Jr., yesterday Monday, 30 March 2015 for discussions on bilateral issues and relations with Haiti. Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Shannon said the talks had been very productive and thanked the President for his hospitality.
Foreign Minister Andres Navarro was present during the talks, as well as US Ambassador James Brewster and the US State Department special coordinator for Haiti, Thomas Adams.
Regarding the relationship with Haiti, he highlighted the work the Dominican Republic is doing to maintain the dialogue and tackle problems affecting both countries.
“The United States, as a friend and partner of both countries, has a great interest in the success of these talks and we are going to act as a partner in solidarity with the DR and Haiti,” he told the press
The visit of the US State Department Counselor and special coordinator for Haiti takes place two and a half months before the 15 June 2015 expiry of the timeframe given to Haitians to legalize their status in the Dominican Republic under the fast-track procedures of the National Foreigner Legalization Plan.
After the meeting in Santo Domingo, the US officers were scheduled to travel to Haiti. Shannon said that he would be meeting with Haitian government officials and civil society organization representatives to discuss immigration and workers’ rights. One of the main obstacles to the success of the plan has been the lack of cooperation from the Haitian government in providing its nationals with documentation.
Shannon said they also discussed cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, which he described as excellent and the upcoming Seventh Summit of the Americas in Panama on 10-11 April 2015. Also discussed was the recent ban on Dominican exports of fruits and vegetables after MedFly was detected in a shipment to Europe at the Punta Cana International Airport was also discussed during the meeting with the high-ranking US State Department officials.
http://www.diariolibre.com/noticias/2015/03/31/i1079151_muestra-interesado-mejora-relaciones-hait.html
http://presidencia.gob.do/noticias/danilo-medina-recibe-visita-de-thomas-shannonconsejero-departamento-de-estado