Spanish
Santo Domingo.– The former mayor of Santiago and former presidential candidate, Abel Martínez, described as “an unacceptable affront” the recent statements by the Minister of Defense of Haiti, Jean Michel Moïse, who accused the Dominican Republic of contributing to the deterioration of security in his country.
During a special session of the Organization of American States (OAS), Moïse pointed to the Dominican nation as a key route for the arms trafficking that fuels Haitian gangs. In response, Martínez categorically responded and rejected any link.
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“The Haitian minister seeks to divert attention from the real problem: a country hijacked by criminal gangs, led by a corrupt elite, without institutional controls, and whose population flees daily in the face of the absence of services, security, and opportunities,” he said.
The former president of the Chamber of Deputies also maintained that the Dominican Republic has been a direct victim of the Haitian collapse, facing for decades a massive, disorderly, and illegal migration, which has tested its capacity in areas such as health, education, employment, and security.
“Dominican Republic does not produce weapons or drugs, nor does it have any responsibility for the structural tragedy consuming the Haitian state. What we have done is welcome millions of Haitian citizens, often without their own country having lifted a finger for them,” he said.
Martínez acknowledged that transnational crime demands regional cooperation, but warned that this collaboration cannot translate into the country alone bearing the consequences of Haiti's collapse.
In that sense, he criticized the lack of firmness of the current Dominican government in the face of the massive illegal entry of Haitians, and called for strengthening national sovereignty. “The responsibility to protect our identity and our borders is non-delegable, and cannot continue to be postponed,” he emphasized.
“Dominican sovereignty is non-negotiable. We will continue to defend our laws, our borders, and our right to decide who enters our territory. We will not accept being used as a scapegoat for a crisis that others have created and fueled,” Martínez emphasized.
Finally, he called on the international community to take the Haitian crisis seriously, promote the reconstruction of its institutions, and combat the criminal networks operating in that country.
“Dominican Republic will not be held hostage by the irresponsibility of those who never knew or never wanted to govern with dignity,” he concluded.
