Indian Council of World Affairs

Distinguished guests, 

It is an honor and a privilege to be here today, and on behalf of the Dominican Republic, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Ambassador Vijay Thakur Singh, Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs, for providing me with this distinguished opportunity. 

I am extremely honored to be able to address you at this emblematic venue of the Indian Council of World Affairs, an institution that, 

since its founding, has been a beacon of wisdom and analysis in the international arena. This space has been a platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge between academics, experts and policymakers, contributing significantly to India's positioning as a nation committed to building consensus and promoting global peace.

Today, it is a privilege to share with you the essence of the Dominican Republic, a nation that shines with resilience and dynamism in the heart of Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Like India, our homeland is proud of its rich cultural diversity, a cultural mosaic formed by the amalgamation of European, African and Taino influences. This cultural diversity, added to our values of democracy, rule of law and multilateral diplomacy, positions both the Dominican Republic and India as allies in a world that increasingly seeks inclusion, tolerance and international collaboration. 

Both nations, committed to global peace, improving the quality of life of our population and solving universal problems such as climate change and food security, have much to gain in an alliance that promises to be both deep and lasting. 

It is precisely this confluence of values and aspirations that makes our geographical differences become strengths rather than obstacles. The Dominican Republic, as a beacon in the Caribbean, and India, as a power in South Asia, stand as gateways to our respective regions. This strategic position allows us to act as bridges for commercial, technological and cultural exchange. 

The Dominican Republic can be a window for India to Latin America and the Caribbean, while India can be the portal for the Dominican Republic to South Asia and beyond. In this sense, our geographical differences not only expand the scope of our collaboration, but also strengthen our alliance and allow us to face global challenges together. 

India, today, stands as a global example of social and economic development, increasing its sphere of influence in international affairs, walking the path of meritocracy. His unwavering leadership in politics, economics and vital international partnerships is epitomized by the New Delhi G20 Leaders' Declaration, emanating from the 18th G20 Summit. 

These consensus agreements are consolidated as triumphs of multilateralism, signifying a commitment to a more inclusive agenda for the global South: a fundamental role played by India. That global South of which the Dominican Republic is part. 

Today, our nation has undergone notable transformations in its economic fabric and is heading towards a bright future, where prosperity and sustainable development of people and the planet are on the horizon. 

This country, currently governed by President Luis Abinader Corona, whom I have the honor to accompany as vice president, also has abundant natural resources, a biodiversity of ecosystems and a young population that trusts in the construction of a prosperous and peaceful future. 

Throughout our history as a nation, we have faced and overcome the fluctuations typical of a Republic in search of the common good, justice and equality. These efforts have turned us into a strong democracy with great global openness as a distinctive characteristic. 

The political and social stability that we enjoy has been the fertile scenario to achieve a sustained annual economic growth rate of 5.5% in the last two decades. 

This makes us the economy in the region that is closest to the developed country standards established by the International Monetary Fund. 

Thanks to these factors, the Dominican Republic offers a safe and attractive investment climate, which reached a record figure of 4,010 million dollars in foreign direct investment in 2022. 

The Dominican economic environment for international promotion encompasses preferential access to more than 48 countries and 1.5 billion consumers, in addition to an inventory of more than 12 types of investment incentives. 

The institutional reforms in customs include the updating and streamlining of customs procedures and logistics operations, in line with current demands and commercial realities, accompanied by a modern logistics infrastructure, 8 international airports, 3 cruise ports and 12 cargo ports that connect with 28 of the 33 Caribbean islands, and make the Dominican Republic the most connected country in the Caribbean. 

Its privileged geographical location, described as the heart of America, and on the same path as the sun, gives it an undeniable advantage as a distribution and connectivity center in the region, making us one of the most competitive countries based on: low logistics costs and greater efficiency. Thus, the country is on the way to becoming a logistics hub, with the regulatory and institutional framework in accordance with high international standards. 

Current trends show that it is more economical and efficient to distribute from the Dominican Republic to the United States by air than to distribute by land within the United States. 

In terms of energy, just like India, the Dominican Republic is actively promoting the transition towards renewable energy sources. Our goal is that by 2025, 25% of the electrical energy consumed in the country comes from renewable sources. 

The story of sustained and inclusive economic growth that both India and the Dominican Republic have experienced in recent decades would be incomplete if we do not mention the health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

I once again thank the Government of India for its unwavering support in providing vaccines that enabled us to immunize frontline healthcare workers and continue doing their commendable work at such critical times. 

To confront the pandemic, safeguard the lives of our citizens and mitigate the negative impact on our economy, we rely on three key strategie First, making quick decisions based on accurate data. During a time when governments needed accurate information about the disease, we established a Nerve Center, a public multidisciplinary team, with mixed collaboration, to face the largest health challenge in recent times. 

From this Center we configured a collaboration model between the State, the private sector, academies and civil society, taking advantage of the strengths, perspectives and proposals of each sector, which contributed knowledge, resources and the will to provide a more than adequate response to the health crisis. 

As a result of this joint action, we managed to launch an ambitious and urgent National Vaccination Plan, internationally recognized for its effectiveness and agility, including by the World Health Organization, WHO. 

I must also commend our citizens for their exemplary response. With their unparalleled willingness to cooperate at all times, they demonstrated their confidence in the institutions of the State and the actions of the Government. 

Once the health emergency was controlled and the National Vaccination Plan was implemented, we proceeded to gradual economic reopening, guided by daily evaluations of vaccination progress. This reopening model translated into a balanced economic recovery with protection of life. 

The Dominican Republic managed to recover its economic indices and place itself among the growth leaders in Latin America, due to the notable resilience of its economy and its solid macroeconomic foundations. 

This economic success is a legacy for the Dominican people, known for their passion and dedication to development. 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Like India, our country has undergone transformative changes in its economic model, infrastructure, integrated transportation systems, education, healthcare and financial architecture. We are working hard and managing to reduce poverty rates. 

For this reason, I am pleased to note that our countries and our people also share many common conditions. We share a colonial past and a long struggle for our independence. We were guided on that path by the pursuit of truth as a search for man’s freedom. 

Dominican society today preserves the identity values inherited from the great ideologue of our nation, the patriot Juan Pablo Duarte, a distinguished Dominican who placed the freedom of the nation above all other political or economic interests. 

The Dominican Republic and India are two nations dedicated to peace and that share non-negotiable values such as democracy and human rights; essential conditions for economic development and social progress. 

In the current changing global landscape that we have witnessed, especially in recent years, both the Dominican Republic and India recognize the need for a more robust multilateral system, based on shared fundamental values. 

The Republic of India, the largest democracy in the world, has already been on its path to freedom for 76 years. 

From the Dominican Republic we celebrate Gandhi Jayanti with you. Mahatma Gandhi, a visionary guided by the principles of non-violence and compassion, who established the foundation for independence. His example is a model for all democratic movements in the world. 

Ladies and gentlemen 

Let me affirm that bilateral relations between the Dominican Republic and India are prepared for greater growth, both in scale and depth, based on the new momentum that our relations have taken, highlighting three aspects in this process:

1- The opening of the Indian embassy in the Dominican Republic in 2022.

2- The frequency of high-level visits.

a)  In 2021, in Santo Domingo, we held a political dialogue meeting at the level of vice ministers, with the participation of the person in charge of the eastern hemisphere of the Indian Foreign Ministry.

b)  Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last April became the first Indian foreign minister to visit the Dominican Republic. During his two-day official visit, he met with President Luis Abinader Corona, Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez, and several senior officials, and formally inaugurated the Indian Embassy in Santo Domingo. This visit also allowed us to explore new projects and areas of cooperation between both countries.

c)  For my part today, I stand here before you, representing our president Luis Abinader Corona, as a continuation of this fruitful dialogue and as further testimony of the importance that both nations attach to this constantly evolving relationship.

3- This dynamism has been driven by our diplomatic missions that have identified new areas of cooperation, such as higher education, meteorology, oceanography, space exploration, among others. 

We have initiated and concluded negotiations for agreements in various fields: investment promotion, health, university exchanges, defense, just to mention a few. In the last three years, a record number of Dominican professionals have been trained in India in diplomacy, cybersecurity, remote sensing and construction of nanosatellites. 

At the institutional level, we are taking concrete measures to strengthen our commercial relations with India. In April 2023, we concluded negotiations on the Joint Economic and Trade Cooperation (JETCO) Protocol, between the Indian Department of Commerce and our Ministry of External Affairs. 

Additionally, in the same month, the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP) of the Dominican Republic and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote exchange between the private sectors of both nations. Finally, ProDominicana and Invest India signed an agreement last August to promote investments. 

It is relevant to note that the Dominican Republic has positioned itself as the most important and fastest growing economy in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the main tourist destination in the region. 

Our common macroeconomic fundamentals, as well as the political and social stability experienced by our nations, and India’s commercial leadership in sectors as important as industry and services, have positioned India as the eighth most important trading partner in the Dominican Republic. 

Our shared values unite us and will allow us to move forward together, united by the search for social justice, the high potential of commercial exchange between our economies and the strengthening of the peace that humanity needs to achieve a prosperous future. 

Furthermore, this relationship is deeply rooted in a shared commitment to sustainable development, a value that both nations consider fundamental. India has proven to be a driving force in international cooperation, especially in promoting sustainable development in developing countries. 

In an increasingly interconnected world, we face global challenges such as climate change, which require us to join forces and resources. This is another area where the Government of the Dominican Republic sees a natural alliance with India, reaffirming our commitment to be active participants in multilateral initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). 

This alliance in sustainable development extends beyond global initiatives. We are interested in working closely with India to develop bilateral strategies for the mitigation and prevention of extreme climate events. 

This collaboration has the potential to strengthen our warning and response systems to extreme weather events, and with India's technology and expertise, we can aim to significantly reduce the economic and human impact of natural disasters such as hurricanes. 

The Dominican Republic is definitely ready to take a qualitative leap in its relations with India, to become its strategic partner in the Caribbean, an important region in which the country is a model of development, democracy and prosperity. 

The future of our bilateral relations is bright and full of possibilities and together we can be beacons of development, democracy and prosperity in our respective regions. It is time to close geographical distances and bring opportunities closer together. 

I would like to end with a quote from Gandhi Jayanti that reflects the engine that moves our country, small in size, but great in vision: “Strength does not come from physical ability. It comes from an indomitable will”.

Thank you all very much for your kind attention.

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