US Admiral Craig Faller in an interview with the Listin Diario said that during his visit in the Dominican Republic, he will participate in the regional Caribbean security conference. The event focuses on combatting transnational crime, cybersecurity in the region and climate change (hurricane mitigation). Faller is the commander of the US Southern Command.
In the interview with Listin Diario, he said: “When I come to visit a trusted friend like Minister Diaz [Defense Minister Carlos Diaz Morfa], I focus on what we can do together for common interests, what their security concerns are, how we can work together to continue to increase confidence in security and all the things we share: values, respect for human rights, vibrant democracies, a respect for the law, the rule of law, we focus on us, we don’t focus on other nations.
“And I don’t tell our partners to pick and choose either. We don’t go to a sovereign country and tell them how their relationships should be, but we try to highlight the differences. I testified recently before the US Congress that China is not a democracy, it does not respect human rights, it does not follow the rule of law and when they have this technology, there is no division between something civilian or military, so we have to discuss with our eyes open to see what those impacts are going to be.”
Regarding Haiti, the US Admiral said:
“If there had not been the help and leadership that the Dominican Republic took there would have been more suffering after the earthquake. I mention these stories because I think it is a way to work with the people and have that regional and international leadership to chart the way forward. It is a very complex situation. I know that it impacts you and I personally Minister Diaz and we are going to have in-depth discussions on this issue.”
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Listin Diario
21 April 2021