The Haitian Crisis at the Heart of an Emergency Meeting in the Dominican Republic

Dominican President Luis Abinader held a high-level meeting this Wednesday, May 14, 2025, with former presidents Leonel Fernández, Hipólito Mejía, and Danilo Medina. This important meeting, held at the Dominican Ministry of Defense, aimed to « build a unified position in the face of the growing crisis in Haiti and its impact on the national security, economy, and stability of the Dominican Republic ». During this meeting, strategic scenarios were analyzed, and joint action mechanisms were defined. Other high-ranking Dominican officials also attended this meeting: Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Álvarez; Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre; Army Commander, Major General Jorge Camino; DNI Director, Luis Soto; Migration Director, Vice Admiral Lee Ballester; and the Dominican Ambassador to Haiti, Faruk Miguel. An official statement was published by the Dominican government, summarizing the various points discussed during this emergency meeting. Firstly, the leaders agreed that Haiti was facing one of the worst crises in its history, and that this situation demanded a clear and strong response from the Dominican Republic by alerting the international community, strengthening border control. Other aspects included ensuring rigorous application of the law regarding migration policy, while recognizing that the solution to the Haitian crisis must come from Haitians themselves, with the support of the international community. To this end, four crucial agreements emerged from this dialogue:

1. The creation of joint working spaces between the government and former presidents to define a coherent national policy regarding Haiti.
2. The convocation of the Economic and Social Council (CES), which the president and the three former presidents will attend to debate and reach a consensus on concrete proposals.
3. The submission of periodic reports to former leaders on the state of national security related to the Haitian situation.
4. The promotion of a unified foreign policy, articulated through bilateral meetings between the president and the former presidents.

While Haitian elites struggle to come together to find a way out of this crisis and speak with one voice to the world, the Dominicans, for their part, have sent a clear signal: in the face of major challenges, they act with a single voice and the same determination.