North & Central America and Caribbean

Dominican Republic
Last reviewed: 12 August 2009

Country information

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Relations with Neighbours

The Dominican Republic has a close relationship with the United States and with other states of the Inter-American system. It has accredited diplomatic missions in most Western Hemisphere countries and in principal European capitals. The Dominican Republic and Cuba have established Consular relations, and there is contact in fields such as commerce, culture, and sports.

Although Dominican relations with its closest neighbour, the Republic of Haiti, have never been extensive, this has begun to change under President Fernandez's administration. Growing immigration from and political instability in Haiti have forced the Dominican Republic to take a closer look at relations with its neighbour, both bilaterally and in international fora. There is a sizeable Haitian migrant community in the Dominican Republic, and there is a long history of friction between the DR and Haiti over illegal immigration by Haitian agricultural and construction workers. Two waves of deportations of Haitians and Dominico-Haitians from the DR, in May and August 2005, continued to highlight the problem, and raised human rights concerns. Conservative estimates give 500,000 illegal Haitians resident in the DR. There could be as many as a million. Anti Slavery International report that there are in addition to this 40,000 Haitians working (with 60,000 dependants) in the Dominican sugar plantations.

Relations with the International Community

During his previous term in office, President Leonel Fernandez brought the Dominican Republic back to the international stage, thus ending almost 30 years of self-imposed isolation which the country endured under previous, semi-autocratic regimes. He is seeking to do this again in his second term. Fernandez attended the inauguration of President Chávez of Venezuela during his previous term, and their friendship continues. Chávez visited Santo Domingo on 6 November 2004, and signed an oil purchasing agreement offering the Dominican Republic $150m of oil on very favourable terms, to help the country cope with its power sector crisis. The Venezuelan and Dominican Republic leaders signed another agreement offering the Dominican Republic beneficial oil-purchasing terms at the beginning of September 2005, to help the Dominican Republic cope with increasing world oil prices. Fernandez's courtship of CARICOM further underlines his objective of playing a key and pivotal role between the English and Spanish-speaking Caribbean. At a CARIFORUM summit in the Dominican Republic in July 2005, the Dominican Republic publicly asked to be made full members of CARICOM and has repeated the request since, but has yet to be accepted.

Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States

Relations with the UK

After extensive lobbying from the British business community and in recognition of the great potential of the market, plus growing numbers of UK tourists, the UK re-opened its Embassy in the Dominican Republic (DR) in November 1995, after a gap of over 10 years. In 1998, the Embassy was boosted by a second UK-based member of staff as Deputy Head of Mission in support of our developing relations. In May 2003 Baroness Amos paid an official visit to the Dominican Republic as FCO Minister for the Caribbean. This was the first Ministerial visit since the British Embassy reopened in Santo Domingo in 1995.

President Fernandez visited the UK as President-elect in July 2004, following his election victory in May. In May 2005 the country's Minster for Exports and Investment, Eddy Martinez, paid a week long visit geared to attracting UK investment to the DR. In September 2005 the DR Foreign Minister, Carlos Morales Troncoso, visited the UK to speak at a conference on Caribbean security at Wilton Park.

President Fernandez visited the UK in March 2006. This was the first ever official visit by a President of the Dominican Republic. He undertook a successful programme of meetings including the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary. The President also spoke at several functions and met representatives of business, tourism and academic groups interested in the Dominican Republic. During the visit, the DR Foreign Minister, Carlos Morales Troncoso and the then Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, signed a UK-DR Air Services Agreement.

There were a number of further high level visits from senior figures in the Dominican Republic to the United Kingdom in 2006 and 2007 including the Governor of the Central Bank, Hector Valdes; the Chief Trade Negotiator for the Dominican Republic, Julio Ortega-Tous, the Technical Secretary to the Presidency, Temistocles Montas; the Presidents of both Parlamentarian Chambers, Julio César Valentín and Dr Reinaldo Pared Perez; Attorney General, Dr Rhadames Jimenez; Prisons Inspector Henry Garrido and Penitentiary School Director, Roberto Santana.