Santiago de los Caballeros.—The Dominican Republic was chosen as the first international destination of the elected president of Chili, José Antonio Kastprior to taking office, due to the cooperation tieshe tourist exchangehe commercial interest and the Dominican experience in securityas expressed by both leaders during a meeting in the Presidential House of Santiago.
During the joint statements, given at the Presidential House in Santiago, Abinader welcomed the Chilean president-elect, his wife and announced members of his cabinetwith whom, according to what he indicated, he shared ideas and experiences about successful projects developed in both countries.
“Chile is a great countrywhere we have many tourist and commercial relations that, starting in March, we hope to increase much more,” said the Dominican president, referring to the topics addressed during the meeting.
Commercial exchange
Abinader pointed out that both delegations spoke about tourism, exports and the possibility of bilateral agreementsincluding mechanisms that facilitate trade in chilean wines in the Dominican market and dominican cigars in Chile.
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Likewise, he highlighted that in the last year the Dominican Republic received around 140 thousand Chilean touristsa figure that reflects the strength of the tourist link between both countries.
Security and border
President Abinader appreciated that Kast has chosen the Dominican Republic as his first formal trippointing out that the elected president will spend the night in Santiago and that both will take a tour of the borderwhere they will know the perimeter fence and the security system implemented, which, he stated, has worked effectively.
For his part, President-elect José Antonio Kast highlighted that more than 140,000 Chileans visit the Dominican Republic annually and expressed his interest in seeing this flow continue to grow, while Chile can also become an attractive destination for Dominican citizens.
Kast highlighted that the Dominican Republic constitutes a regional reference in tourist attention and economic diversificationnoting that the country has managed to reduce its exclusive dependence on tourism, which contributes social and economic stability.
Bilateral learning
In matters of border security and controlKast valued the exchange with Dominican authorities to learn about the mechanisms applied to border crossing control, highlighting the coordination between the ministries of Interior and Security from both countries.
“We have much to share and much to learn“said the president-elect, explaining that the decision to begin his tour in the Dominican Republic responds to the deep ties between both nations and the interest of reactivate the joint trade committee.
The visit is part of a regional tour prior to his inaugurationfocused on bilateral cooperation, tourism, trade and security.
Official evening reception
Kast and his wife, María Pía Adriasolawere received within hours of the evening by the president Luis Abinader and the first lady Raquel Arbaje. The Dominican president highlighted the meeting in a message published on his social media channel. WhatsAppwhere he stated that the visit “strengthens dialogue and friendship between Chile and the Dominican Republic”.
