He chancellor of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Álvarez, spoke out through his X account in relation to the information disseminated by journalist Jacqueline Charles, in which it was indicated that the Haitian authorities had declined to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Luis Abinader.
Álvarez explained that on August 1, she had a telephone conversation with the Haitian foreign minister, in which the possibility of attending the event was discussed. During the call, the Haitian foreign minister asked if it was necessary to lift the closure of the airspace between both countries in order to travel to the ceremony.
In response, Foreign Minister Alvarez assured him that any flight request from the Haitian authorities would be authorized immediately, as would the requests of the other invited dignitaries. He stressed that, for security reasons, the airspace between the Dominican Republic and Haiti remains closed to commercial flights, but not to official, humanitarian or similar flights.
In addition, the Dominican Foreign Minister instructed the Dominican ambassador in Haiti to visit the Haitian Foreign Ministry and reiterate the Dominican Government’s willingness to facilitate the travel of Haitian authorities to the event.
Finally, Álvarez stressed that there was no impediment for the Haitian authorities to attend the inauguration of President Abinader, and that the occasion would have been propitious to restart dialogue with the transitional government of Haiti.
This clarification aims to dispel any misunderstandings and reaffirm the Dominican Republic’s commitment to diplomacy and cooperation between both countries.
