Spanish
Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic and Bahamas signed a memorandum of understanding for medical evacuation, repatriation of the injured, deceased, and logistical access to Dominican territory for Bahamian members of the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSS).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement that the agreement was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez, and his Bahamian counterpart, Frederick Mitchell, within the framework of the 55th General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), held in Antigua and Barbuda.You may be interested in: Foreign Minister Álvarez discusses Haiti with US Under Secretary of State, Landau
Both countries signed this instrument due to the multiple challenges posed by the widespread insecurity in Haiti due to the presence of armed criminal gangs and the institutional fragility of the Haitian State, which makes it necessary for the international community to provide permanent support to the MSS, the statement highlighted. In October of last year, the Bahamas sent six military personnel to support the MSS, led by Kenya, and last May it sent a group for its first troop rotation. The Dominican Republic and Haiti share a border of about 400 kilometers, and on multiple occasions - in different situations - the first of these countries has served for the provision of medical services and the evacuation of people from Haitian soil. Álvarez and Mitchell also signed an agreement through which a mechanism for bilateral political consultations and cooperation will be established in order to promote a dialogue in areas of mutual interest. The document establishes that the consultations to be carried out will cover political, economic, cultural, consular, and other areas, such as maritime trade, labor, and security.
