Santo Domingo.-It is confirmed, the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, will hold his first international tour next week, which will include an official visit to the Dominican Republic.
Rubio, of Cuban origin and the first Hispanic to occupy this position in the history of the United States, cited at his audience before the Senate to the Dominican Republic among the countries that have been acting well, highlighting that little mentions the risk that for this country is mentioned It implies the Haitian crisis.
He highlighted the advances of the Dominican Republic in the reactivation of tourism and economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The state department spokeswoman, Tammy Bruce, reported that Rubio will begin her tour next weekend and visit Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
All these countries coincide in a common concern about the legitimacy and transparency of the electoral process in Venezuela and have recognized that the elections were won by the opposition.
The appointment of Rubio reinforces the interest of the administration of Donald Trump in the region, in particular in addressing issues such as security, democracy and migratory flows from Latin America.
The programmed
Rubio plans to meet with President Luis Abinader in the National Palace to discuss key issues such as economic cooperation, transparency and strengthening bilateral relations.
With this meeting, Rubio becomes the fifth Secretary of State visiting the Dominican Republic.
The first was in 1976, Henry Kissinger.
Two other Secretaries of State visited the Dominican Republic to participate in the sworn of presidents. Cyrus Vance, under the Carter Administration, wine for Antonio Guzmán’s sworn in 1978. George Shultz, from the Ronald Reagan administration, attended that of Joaquín Balaguer, in 1986.
Recent history
Years later, in 2009, Hillary Clinton visited the Dominican Republic as Secretary of State under the administration of Barack Obama. During his stay, Clinton showed interest in binational projects to generate employment in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, reaffirming his commitment to the development of the nation.
In 2020, Mike Pompeo, secretary of state during the government of Donald Trump, met with President Luis Abinader in the National Palace. In this meeting, they discussed strategies to strengthen democracy, security and transparency in the region.
More recently, Antony Blinken, Secretary of State under the administration of Joe Biden, visited the Dominican Republic in September 2023.
His meeting with Abinader addressed issues such as cooperation in commerce, safety and sustainable development.
Marco Rubio’s visit underlines the strategic importance of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean and reinforces the historical ties between the two nations.
His praise to Dominican advances in Tourism and Economics highlights the country as a regional recovery model after the pandemic.
Panama
The visit to Panama occurs at a time of tension by Trump’s promise to “resume” the US control over the Panama Canal, which has generated the repudiation of the authorities of the Central American country.
During his confirmation hearing in the Senate, Rubio suggested that the use that China makes of the Panama Canal is a violation of the terms of the delivery of that interoceanic path to the Panamanians.
RD is under Trump’s regional scheme
Decision. From before assuming his mandate, President Donald Trump announced the nomination of Leah Francis Campos as the United States ambassador to the Dominican Republic, a vacant position since 2021.
The announcement, made through the social network Truth, highlighted the experience of fields as CIA officer and its role as an advisor to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.
Trump praised Campos for his career and his commitment to the region. Mother of four children, fields “comes from a family of patriots,” according to the president.
