President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader, who takes a hardline stance towards Haiti, announced his openness to normalizing relations with the neighboring country, conditioning it on an improvement in its security situation.

Abinader, whose country shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti said that his administration’s intention is to try to normalize the situation as much as possible, but always with respect for the safety of Dominicans. He said that it was in everyone’s interest to help Haiti emerge from its current situation, and for the country to move forward thanks to the efforts of a new international security force led by Kenya and largely funded by the United States.

It is worth noting that the land borders between the Dominican Republic and Haiti have been closed since September 2023, and air flights between them are suspended. Last year, more than 250,000 Haitians were deported, prompting the non-governmental organization Amnesty International to accuse the Santo Domingo authorities of
racism.

Source: Qatar News Agency