{"id":251328,"date":"2026-05-12T08:31:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:31:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/?p=251328"},"modified":"2026-05-12T08:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:46:13","slug":"president-abinader-to-keynote-world-free-zones-organization-congress-in-panama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/2026\/05\/12\/president-abinader-to-keynote-world-free-zones-organization-congress-in-panama\/","title":{"rendered":"President Abinader to keynote World Free Zones Organization Congress in Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Luis-Abinader-Presidencia.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-251300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Luis-Abinader-Presidencia.png 600w, https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Luis-Abinader-Presidencia-300x179.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>President Luis Abinader is scheduled to travel to Panama on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, to deliver the keynote address at the 12th Annual World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) AICE World Congress. The high-level event, running from Tuesday, 12 May to Wednesday, 13 May 2026, serves as the premier global platform for free trade zone authorities and logistics experts. The previous conference took place in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) is the host of this international gathering. The event gathers high-level officials, policymakers, free zone leaders, investors, and industry experts from around the world to exchange perspectives, share experiences, and shape the future of free zones and special economic regimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>President Abinader\u2019s agenda is focused on aggressive investment attraction, specifically targeting specialized free zone sectors. He is slated to meet with logistics and manufacturing executives to pitch the Dominican Republic as a primary destination for capital. Furthermore, Abinader will hold a meeting with Panama\u2019s top business leadership to highlight the Dominican Republic\u2019s position as one of the region\u2019s fastest-growing economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the investment forum, President Abinader will hold a bilateral meeting with his Panamanian counterpart, President Jos\u00e9 Ra\u00fal Mulino, to discuss regional cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other members of the Dominican delegation are Minister of Industry and Commerce Eduardo (Yayo) Sanz Lovaton; Biviana Riveiro, executive director of ProDominicana and Dominican ambassador to Panama Roberto Salcedo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why the Congress matters for the Dominican Republic<br>Participation in this congress is a strategic priority for the Dominican Republic. As the Dominican Republic shifts toward &#8220;nearshoring&#8221; and high-tech manufacturing (such as medical devices and electronics), this event is an opportunity to network to solidify the country&#8217;s status as a regional logistics hub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, Panama and the Dominican Republic are the two strongest logistics players in the Caribbean basin. Strengthening ties at this conference allows for better integration of maritime and air cargo routes. The Dominican Republic\u2019s Punta Cana International Airport is a major connector port for the region, with the most international carriers, followed by Panama\u2019s international airport. Santo Domingo\u2019s Las Americas International follows closely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Free zones currently account for over 60% of the Dominican Republic\u2019s total exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more in Spanish:<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldfzo.org\/en\/events\/upcoming-events\/12th-annual-world-fzo-world-congress\">World FZO <\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/presidencia.gob.do\/noticias\/el-presidente-abinader-sera-el-orador-principal-en-el-congreso-mundial-de-zonas-francas\">Presidency <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>12 May 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Luis Abinader is scheduled to travel to Panama on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, to deliver the keynote address at the 12th Annual World Free Zones Organization (World FZO) AICE World Congress. The high-level event, running from Tuesday, 12 May to Wednesday, 13 May 2026, serves as the premier global platform for free trade zone &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/2026\/05\/12\/president-abinader-to-keynote-world-free-zones-organization-congress-in-panama\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[340,3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251328"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251328"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251328\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251351,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251328\/revisions\/251351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dr1.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}