OAS Secretary suggests that DR and Haiti continue their collaboration on the flow of people

Santo Domingo.- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, stated this Friday that the Dominican Republic and Haiti should continue their collaboration regarding a "orderly", "regulated" and "peaceful" flow of people.

Ramdin, who visited the Dominican-Haitian border, assured that this type of cooperation is valued by the OAS. "Both Haiti and the Dominican Republic must continue working in this direction, in the context of border development and their respective national development goals," the diplomat considered through a statement from the Dominican Ministry of Defense. The Surinamese estimated that his visit to the border area strengthens the cooperation ties between the Dominican Republic and the OAS, and demonstrates the national commitment to security, legality and regional stability, reaffirming the country's key role as guarantor of peace in the Caribbean and the continent. The statement highlighted Ramdin's "extensive tour" of the border, covering the main surveillance and control points, "with the purpose of verifying the general situation of the area and learning firsthand about the actions coordinated by the institutions of the Dominican State." During the tour, details were presented on the operations carried out by the Armed Forces in terms of perimeter security, the fight against the illicit trafficking of goods and people, and the protection of national sovereignty. In addition, Ramdin was offered information on the work coordinated with the General Directorate of Migration and the General Directorate of Customs, aimed at strengthening migration controls, improving the traceability of goods and ensuring a safe and regulated border flow. The Minister of Defense, Carlos Fernández Onofre, described the visit of the OAS Secretary General as "highly positive." "The presence of the OAS on the ground confirms the international community's commitment to the responsible monitoring of border issues. For our Armed Forces, this tour represents an opportunity to transparently showcase the daily work we do to protect our border, but also to strengthen regional cooperation in an increasingly challenging environment," he assured. Ramdin, who chaired the two-day congress of the VIII Meeting of Ministers on Public Security Matters of the Americas (Mispa), said yesterday that the insecurity situation in Haiti raises the need for a "coordinated" and "sustained" international commitment capable of restoring the authorities' capacity to strengthen their institutions. He recalled that armed gangs operate in the Haitian capital and surrounding regions, which prevents the government of that country from offering essential services to the population. The Dominican Republic is building a fence on the border with Haiti, in addition to implementing a policy of mass deportation of undocumented Haitians ordered last October by President Luis Abinader.