US Senate committee wants to strenghten relations with the DR
The Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate of the United States is preparing to announce next Wednesday, December 7th, a bipartisan resolution that seeks to reaffirm cooperation in diplomatic, economic, and cultural terms between the North American country and the Dominican Republic, just one year after being presented.
Resolution 472 was signed last December by the Democratic senator and chairman of the committee, Bob Menéndez, together with the Republican Marco Rubio with the support of Ben Cardin and Bill Cassidy; With it, the Democrat promises to work hand in hand with President Luis Abinader and the Dominican diaspora in the US to strengthen the ties that unite both countries.
On Wednesday, the resolution will be known in a committee hearing and, if approved, it will go to the full Senate and will regulate, among other things, the bilateral relationship between the US and the Dominican Republic, the country’s leadership position in the region , the expansion of the Dominican economy; in addition to the promotion of stability in Haiti with the collaboration of the Haitians.
What the proposed resolution 472 says
The resolution seeks the commitment of the US Congress, in addition to strengthening the “historic alliance” between that country and the Dominican Republic, calls on the Dominican Republic to assume the leadership role “in the role of promoter of human rights, democratic values and humanitarian assistance”, as well as including strategies of interest to both.
The resolution also calls for more steps to strengthen cooperation between the two nations: how to help the country in the post-COVID-19 recovery, including support for financial sustainability and equity in access to international financial markets, in order to “strengthen the Dominican position in significant matters in terms of industrial, manufacturing, logistics and cooperation in the development of infrastructures such as ports, energy and free zones”.
The resolution also addresses actions for cooperation on issues of climate change, security, drug control and human trafficking, the dismantling of money laundering networks and the professional strengthening of law and criminal justice, as well as educational institutions and the promotion of stability in Haiti.
“By increasing cooperation with the Dominican Republic and other friendly nations, they must be partners in promoting stability in Haiti and in managing the humanitarian crisis in that country, supporting a political solution that has the support of Haitians” , reads the proposal of Senator Menendez.
It also urges the Dominican Government to take actions to protect human rights, security and care for private data from the risk posed by depending on China’s technology, by including Huawei phones in the country’s telecommunications networks.
Regarding the issue of the crisis in Haiti, the resolution requests the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue supporting the Dominican Republic in its efforts to respond to the humanitarian needs of Haitian migrants in the country.