Punta Cana.- President Luis Abinader returned to the country from Switzerland this Wednesday night after exhausting a busy schedule that allowed him to expose in different scenarios of that European nation the great achievements obtained by the Dominican government in the sectors of health, tourism and the economy in times of pandemic.
The president arrived at 8:30 at night at the Punta Cana International Airport and was received by Vice President Raquel Peña; Defense Minister Carlos Luciano Díaz Morfa; the director of the Airport Department, Víctor Pichardo and the director of the Specialized Body for Airport Security and Civil Aviation, Carlos R. Febrillet Rodríguez.
The delegation that accompanied President Abinader was made up of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez; his personal assistant, Mercedes Pichardo; Eilyn Beltrán, Secretary General of the Cabinet of the National Palace and General Jimmy Arias Grullón, Deputy Chief of the Presidential Security Corps.
Similarly, the ambassadors, Virgilio Alcántara, head of the mission at the World Health Organization (WHO); from the Swiss Confederation, Pablo Valentín; and the president’s press director Daniel García Archibald.
Meeting with the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Already in that European nation, on Saturday afternoon, the head of state spoke about the experience of the Dominican Republic in handling COVID 19, the post-pandemic economic crisis and the recovery of tourism.
At the conclusion of the first working meeting in Geneva between President Luis Abinader and the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the president expressed his satisfaction with the recognition made to him by the health authorities at the for the leadership of the Dominican Republic against COVID-19.
During the meeting, the director general of the WHO expressed his congratulations to the president and his government for handling the pandemic caused by the virus.
Similarly, they addressed various issues for future projects, such as the development of vaccines and medical devices in the Dominican Republic with the support and advice of both the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
75th World Health Assembly
For Sunday the 22nd, the head of state also presented at the 75th World Health Assembly on the good practices adopted by his Government in handling COVID-19 to open the Dominican Republic to the world, with one of the lowest fatalities in the planet.
In this scenario, he emphasized, that the results are not the result of chance or destiny, but of a rigorous policy, planned and adapted to each moment and health professionals whom he will eternally thank for their work.
He reported that to date they have administered more than 15 million vaccines nationwide, guaranteeing the two-dose vaccination scheme in almost 6 million people out of an initial target population of 7.8 million. In addition, to have 4 doses of vaccines per person guaranteed for the entire population.
World Economic Forum and bilateral meetings
Arriving in Davos on Monday the 23rd, President Luis Abinader participated in the World Economic Forum that was held in this Swiss city.
At the Forum, the president’s intervention was highlighted to discuss the Government’s actions to rethink and revitalize travel and tourism.
Along with President Abinader, Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez also participated; the executive director of the National Competitiveness Council, Peter Prazmowski, and the country’s permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO), José Sánchez-Fung.
Bilateral meetings
The president also held bilateral meetings with important international business entities on this day, and in the evening he participated in the dinner offered by Klaus Martín Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, for the heads of state and government, international organizations and special guests. .
Panel rethinking and revitalizing travel and tourism
When participating in this panel, the president explained that a successful strategy for the recovery of tourism, combined with a consistent effort to care for the health of the people, was the key to the recovery of the economy in the Dominican Republic, and is the reason why the one that the international organizations that deal with tourism, health and the economy present the country as a nation that has been successful in facing the crisis caused by the pandemic.
President Abinader’s exposition, like the interventions of five other speakers, was brief, but once the panel broadcast on Internet channels ended, it provoked a series of questions whose answers consumed about 15 minutes of exposition, which turned the president into the center of the debate. informal exchange that took place after the activity.
The panelists who accompanied President Abinader were Keir Simmons, international correspondent for NBC News; Antonio Capuano, CEO of Marriott International; Haifa Bint Mohammed Al Saud, Deputy Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia; S. Iswaran, Singapore Transport Minister and Ruzwana Bashir, Peek.com.
Presidential Panel of Latin America
By participating in this panel, the Dominican president supported the success of the Dominican Republic in the fight against COVID-19 to which actions were combined, timely and strategically, to guarantee the health of the population, the recovery of the economy, tourism and food supply.
The Dominican president participated in this panel together with Iván Duque, from Colombia; Rodrigo Chaves, from Costa Rica and the Vice President of Peru, Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra. The meeting was moderated by Marisol Argueta.
He explained that many people told him that it was crazy to open tourism in the country, but that the Dominican government managed to open 50% of the hotels in the 2020-2021 season, which meant 50% more jobs.
The Dominican head of state left the Dominican Republic last Friday the 20th and arrived in Switzerland at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday the 21st.
