Pedro Sánchez strengthens ties with Dominican Republic, a key partner in the Caribbean

Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)

Including this trip, the President of the Government will have visited nine Latin American countries in eight months. This is a reflection of the "absolute priority" given by the Government of Spain to this region.

In Santo Domingo, Pedro Sánchez met with the President of the Dominican Republic, Danilo Medina, to whom he conveyed the Government of Spain's commitment to the country as a leading partner for Spain in the Caribbean and with which Spain maintains close political, economic and cultural relations. This Caribbean country is a major tourist destination that receives more than 170,000 Spaniards per year, while more than 250,000 citizens of the Dominican Republic currently reside in Spain.

The two presidents adopted a Joint Declaration entitled "Spain and the Dominican Republic: committed to an increasingly broader and deeper relationship" and signed two agreements: the "Country Partnership Framework", which constitutes a roadmap for Spanish development cooperation in the Dominican Republic over the next years; and a "Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Investment".

The President of the Government of Spain told his counterpart from the Dominican Republic about the Government of Spain's wish to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two countries, and to promote joint solutions to regional challenges, such as the Venezuela crisis, and global challenges given that the Dominican Republic now holds - for the first time in its history - a seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the two-year period 2019-2020. Regarding the political situation in Venezuela, Pedro Sánchez expressed the Government of Spain's position to Danilo Medina and told him about its leadership within the European Union to promote the celebration of free and transparent elections will all the democratic guarantees as a solution to the crisis.

Pool Moncloa / Fernando CalvoIn terms of economic and trade affairs, Pedro Sánchez told Danilo Medina about the Government of Spain's interest in further developing economic relations by strengthening cooperation in sectors where Spanish companies have a consolidated position, such as the hotel sector, the cement industry and in financial services. Furthermore, he expressed the interest in diversifying investment into other sectors, such as renewable energies or culture, as well as guaranteeing legal certainty for investors. He also reiterated the commitment made by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation and the intention to keep working together, especially in the field of triangular development cooperation with Haiti.

Finally, they discussed the drama of gender-based violence. Pedro Sánchez expressed Spain's willingness to cooperate with the Government of the Dominican Republic on implementing best practices and effective ways to lower the figures on violence in a country with the fourth-highest level of femicides anywhere in Latin America and where the percentages on gender-based violence are high.

Tour of the Colonial City of Santo Domingo

The visit to Santo Domingo includes a floral offering at the Altar de la Patria (Altar of the Homeland) in the Parque de la Independencia (Independence Park), the mausoleum housing the remains of three Fathers of the Homeland (Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco del Rosario Sánchez and Ramón Matías Mella), and a walk around the old colonial city, which was the first to be founded by the Europeans in America and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. The entourage will also visit the Alcázar de Colón (Columbus Alcazar), Calle Las Damas, el Museo de las Casas Reales (Museum of the Royal Households), the Panteón Nacional (National Pantheon), the Fortaleza (Fort), the Cathedral and the Centro Cultural de España (Spanish Culture Centre). The day will conclude by meeting with the Spanish community on the island, of which there are 26,643 people across the island, to convey his affection and commitment to supporting the work they do in pursuit of Spanish growth and development in the Dominican Republic.

Non official translation