International
President Abinader: border with Haiti will remain closed
September 18 |
The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, announced Sunday that the border with Haiti will remain closed, while stating that the situation on the dividing line is under control and that there is no threat to the development of the daily activities of Dominicans.
In a message to the nation, the president affirmed that “peace and security (…) are guaranteed”. He noted that this Monday he will travel to New York City for debates at the United Nations General Assembly, an occasion he will use to continue to raise awareness among the international community to assist the neighboring nation.
He explained that in August 2018, Haitian citizens began to unilaterally, unconsultedly and illegally build an irrigation canal supplied by waters from the Masacre (or Dajabón) River, with the purpose of irrigating large plantations and selling water to small producers.
He said that the Dominican Chancellery demanded in May 2021 to paralyze the work, which occurred after the assassination of former president Jovenel Moïse (July of that year), but that its construction was restarted weeks ago, “promoted by the same agents provocateurs as always”, he said.
He warned that such a work could lead to “an escalation of constructions that would destroy the river”, for which reason his government took measures to guarantee security, care for the environment, agricultural production and respect for the interests and rights of the population.
He detailed that several measures have been taken to force the stoppage of the work, such as the suspension of the delivery of visas, the prohibition of entry to the country of the promoters of the project, the closing of the borders and the increase of the military presence in the dividing line, among others.
He stated that in view of this serious situation, “we have understood the need to give a forceful response in legitimate defense against the uncontrollable groups that do not obey the Haitian constitutional order nor recognize the bilateral agreements that govern the border relations between both nations”, for which reason the measures adopted by his country will be maintained as long as necessary.
If there are uncontrollables in Haiti, they will not be uncontrollable for the interests of the Dominican government, he said, although he made it clear that his country does not want a confrontation and that both seek to live in peace.
He said that the Haitian people are suffering the consequences of the instability and insecurity generated by what he called insurgent groups. He added that these groups control a large part of the country, do not recognize his government and are causing a serious institutional crisis, which is resulting in an unsustainable political and economic situation.
He stressed that “Haiti’s problem is no longer in Haiti, it is in the hands of the international community”, and that “there is no Dominican solution to the Haitian problem”.
International
Merengue concert turns to mourning as Jet Set collapse claims 136 lives
Dominican rescue teams will end search and recovery operations on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at the Jet Set nightclubin Santo Domingo, where the building collapsed during a live concert.
Authorities estimate that the final 20 bodies will be recovered from the rubble today, bringing the official death toll to 136. This includes 12 additional bodies found overnight in the disaster zone, adding to the previously confirmed 124 fatalities.
Outside the collapsed nightclub, desperate relatives of the missing continue to gather, clinging to hope for news. Many also visited nearby hospitals and morgues in search of their loved ones.
A list of confirmed victims has been posted on a tent set up near the site, where the bodies are being transferred for identification.
The tragedy occurred during a performance by renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the deceased.
Central America
Colombia to host fourth EU-CELAC Summit in November
The Fourth Summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place on November 9 and 10 in Santa Marta, Colombia, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by the Colombian government and the European Council.
The summit will be co-chaired by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in his role as pro tempore president of CELAC, and European Council President António Costa, the statement added.
The last EU-CELAC summit took place in July 2023 in Brussels, when both blocs agreed to hold these meetings every two years.
The summit brings together the 27 EU member states and the 33 CELAC countries, representing 14% of the global population, 21% of global GDP, and one-third of the members of the United Nations, the communiqué noted.
International
Russia and US to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks on April 10
The Kremlin confirmed today a forthcoming meeting with the United States to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations, which will take place in Istanbul.
“Our participation will be through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, during his daily telephone press conference.
Peskov was responding to a question about who would represent Russia in the new round of negotiations, which is supposedly scheduled for April 10.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the delegations will be led by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Alexandr Darchiev, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Sonata Coulter.
These are the same negotiators who met in late February in Istanbul, where the expert-level negotiation format was the same, according to the source.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said a few days ago that the next meeting would be held in the Turkish city, though he did not confirm a date.
Lavrov, who participated in only one of these meetings, clarified that the upcoming discussions would address the issues still dividing Moscow and Washington diplomatically, referring to the operations of both countries’ embassies.
The Kremlin asserted that Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s security concerns, preventing a ceasefire declaration on land, sea, and air.
Meanwhile, Trump expressed discontent with Russia’s recent attacks, including one last week that killed 20 people in Krivi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
So far, Russia has rejected a cessation of hostilities and only declared a 30-day ceasefire on March 18 against attacks on energy infrastructure, which was extended by Kyiv a week later.
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