Australian Embassy issues statement
Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic has become an attractive destination even for Australians, whom despite the fact they live literally half away around the globe, are keenly aware that the quest for trade and investment knows no borders or distance.
The question was put Thursday to Australia Prime Minister Special Envoy John McCarthy, who headed a work breakfast hosted by the Roundtable of Commonwealth Countries, in which trade and investment was also on the menu.
The diplomat said despite the modest current investment of US$150.0 by Australians in the Caribbean nation, “Dominican Republic’s growing and stable economy makes it attractive for any country.”
Roundtable president Fernando González Nicolas and secretary Roberto Herrera welcomed the Australian Envoy to the activity held in Hotel Embajador, attended by numerous prominent of the private sector and business associations.
McCarthy was accompanied by Karina Menday, Executive Officer of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Americas and Africa Division, and Adjunct Ambassador to Dominican Republic, Katrina Cooper.
The Roundtable of Commonwealth Countries in the Dominican Republic is an initiative which promotes bilateral relations between Dominican Republic and its 54 nations including Australia, which makes headway in the local mining, sugar, foods, beverages and education sectors, among others.
From James Yeomans, Primer Secretario, Embajada de Australia, México DF
SPECIAL ENVOY VISIT
Australia is very pleased that Mr. John McCarthy AO, the Special Envoy for Latin America of the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, is visiting the Dominican Republic on an official visit from 3-6 May.
The visit of the Special Envoy for Latin America represents the importance Australia places on building our relationships with the countries of the region, both bilaterally and regionally. Australia and Latin America are coming closer together in commercial, political, cultural and people-to-people circles and the Australian Government is keen to work shoulder to shoulder with Latin America in the 21st century to realize the many mutual opportunities.
Australia and the Dominican Republic’s bilateral relationship is growing. Over the past several years we have seen significant Australian investment in the mining industry and as the industry grows we expect to see a further increase in the Australian presence in that industry.
Australian mining companies are world leaders in developing state of the art, sustainable and environmentally sound mining operations and are committed to working with local governments and communities to further the mutual benefits of the industry.
While trade is currently modest there are a number of opportunities for growth in trade. On 3 May, the Special Envoy, accompanied by Australia´s Ambassador accredited to the Dominican Republic, HE Katrina Cooper and Karin Menday from the Department of Foreign Affairs in Australia, met with representatives of the Commonwealth Round Table here in Santo Domingo to discuss opportunities for growth in the commercial relationship and the best ways we can go about achieving them.
The appointment of an Australian Honorary Consul in the Dominican Republic is a priority for Australia and will establish, for the first time, a permanent Australian government presence in the country. We hope to formally name the Honorary Consul during the second half of this year.
During his visit, the Special Envoy will discuss with Foreign Minister Morales, cooperation between Australia and the Dominican Republic in a range of global challenges. Last year, Vice-Foreign Minister Trullols, visited Australia for the Commonwealth and Small Developing States meeting on Climate Change and we are keen to continue this dialogue.
The Special Envoy and Minister Morales will also sign an MOU between our governments which will allow the placement of Australian volunteers to share expertise and work alongside their Dominican counterparts in a number of key areas, such as English teacher development.
What are the details of Australian trade and investment?
Trade is modest, valued at around $31 million in 2010-11 (steady from 2010). Australia’s main exports are base metals and ships and boats and main imports from the Dominican Republic medical instruments.
Australian mining company Perilya owns and operates the Cerro Maimón cooper and gold mine, worth US$70M initial investment. Perilya employs 220 Dominicans in the mine and has a committed program of local sustainable development. PanTerra Gold has also invested US$84M in commissioning the Las Laguas mine to re-treat the mine tailings from the old Pueblo Viejo mine. A number of Australian mining service companies have also been engaged in the DR.
What other development projects is Australia supporting?
Australian Government ´Australia Awards´ Scholarships are open to Dominican applicants and we look forward to receiving Dominican students on these scholarships in 2013. Australia is supporting a number of Direct Aid Program projects in the Dominican Republic. The first is supporting a local NGO (CEDANI) to develop a mini-hydro system in a community near Puerto Plata, worth US$24,000 and the second is a joint project with Perilya, Barrick Gold and the Canadian Embassy (contribution of US$15,000) to work with the local community to improve transparency and effective governance in the administration of mining royalties in the areas of Maimón and Cotui.
How many Australians are in the Dominican Republic?
According to official figures, around 40-50 Australians live in the Dominican Republic and 4,000 visit annually.
Written by: Pedrin, 3 May 2012 2:05 PM
From: United States
Hey, Roystone, you could sell some of your expertise on the DR to some of your homeboys.
Written by: xwill7, 3 May 2012 2:12 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
Many Dominicans will want to trade roystone back to them...
Written by: Atabey, 3 May 2012 2:18 PM
From: United States, NYC
Roy,
This vital relationship needs your push forward. So don't let some get you down, stay strong and help develop a better relationship between the Aussies and Dominicans. I know you mean well unlike D.
We could start with trading some female assets for some female Aussies? LOL
We'll even include D as a side dish best handled with care. Some Kangaroos in exchange LOL
Written by: generoso, 3 May 2012 2:34 PM
From: Dominican Republic, United States
Is that Roy Stone in the center?
Hello earth calling Roy Stone.......hello......
No response......maybe he was killed by the vigilante posse that was after him..uhmm.
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 2:50 PM
From: Australia
Apart from illicit drugs and beautiful women, what can the Dominican Republic possibly export economically to Australia? I see nothing listed in this or former articles.
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 2:56 PM
From: Australia
Atabey,
Happily trade Australian women for Dominican women. Dominican men deserve Australian women and vice versa. Somehow I don't think that is what they were discussing, which begs the question, what else is there to discuss?
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 2:59 PM
From: Australia
We'll take Yenny and you can have Julia?
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 3:22 PM
From: Australia
Australia manufactures chocolate but does not grow cocoa. Perhaps it could import raw cocoa then export chocolate back to the Dominican republic? It would probably require some inducement to overcome the higher shipping costs compared with Ghana.
From: Dominican Republic
How about some Culture? Au can do very well with any culture DR can give, and ofcourse for free, no trade! you can keep yours.
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 6:19 PM
From: Australia
Australia import fruit from the Dominican Republic, Danny00?
I don't think so.
Australia generally produces enough for domestic consumption and and some export, both tropical and temperate. The Dominican Republic produces almost twice as many bananas, however when there is a shortage, (for example after a recent hurricane in Queensland) there are many other banana-producing countries (like Fiji and New Guinea) that are much closer and less corrupt.
I don't know why, but most bananas in San Cristobal supermarket are bruised, whereas I can by Queensland bananas in Melbourne, thousands of kms away, without bruises.
From: Dominican Republic
Australia produces fruit clones, the worst fruit in the world, not tasty! too much play with genetics, very dry, and all fruit looks and taste like plastic.
From: Dominican Republic, calle A.Portes
The stone fruit in Australia are delicious especially nectarines and peaches and apricots and they have the best grapes in the world of all varieties and they have a wonderful variety of apples .The growers of oranges planted the wrong variety and the door is wide open for anyone who can bring in the sweet navals ..The DR has wonderful root vegetables and naturalfruit like chinola and tamarindos and so many varieties of mangoes ..so a basket from each country every week would satisfy me.
Written by: generoso, 3 May 2012 6:48 PM
From: Dominican Republic, United States
Australians turn up to vote at 95% because of penalties to non voters, in the DR the highest voter turnout has been 75% in presidential elections, counting the "phantom" votes of persons that rent their cedúlas for a fee.
We could import some kangaroos, to help with public transportation here, (joke), and export a million of our illegal Haitian "brothers", that can help Australian agriculture and construction pursuits.
Written by: airgordo, 3 May 2012 7:05 PM
From: Dominican Republic
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 6:19 PM
From: Australia
Australia import fruit from the Dominican Republic, Danny00?
I don't think so.
Australia generally produces enough for domestic consumption and and some export, both tropical and temperate. The Dominican Republic produces almost twice as many bananas, however when there is a shortage, (for example after a recent hurricane in Queensland) there are many other banana-producing countries (like Fiji and New Guinea) that are much closer and less corrupt.
I don't know why, but most bananas in San Cristobal supermarket are bruised, whereas I can by Queensland bananas in Melbourne, thousands of kms away, without bruises.
--
Tha means they are NATURAL, i made an exoperment with an apple on USA, it was nice , red and round as it should be, i left it on the open for 2 months and IT DID NOT ROT!!! therefore it must have been a genetically modified sh!t
Written by: xwill7, 3 May 2012 8:31 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
mr roy,
When you have DR women, you do not need outside women! DR women are the best
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 8:41 PM
From: Australia
Agree totally, xwill7!
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 8:57 PM
From: Australia
wazakakaa,
What Dominican "culture" did you have in mind? Spitting on the pavement? Playing brain-dead Hip-Hop at 95 dB? or perhaps Dominican decoration of the streets and rivers with used PET, styrofoam and polyethylene? Maybe Dominican architecture - barred windows and 8 ft razor-wire topped walls? Walking on the spot and calling it dancing? Getting drunk, taking your de-facto and 3 kids on a motorbike with no lights then riding into a tree?
You are right. You'd have no use for a world-famous opera-house, 10,000 year-old Aboriginal dances, Olympic-games stadiums, etc.
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 9:02 PM
From: Australia
airgordo,
So what doubble-blind control did you use in your biological experiment, and how many variables did you ensurer remained constant? What value do you get for the chi-square test to ensure your results were valid?
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 9:09 PM
From: Australia
Ricky,
I agree about the root vegetables. I just downed some yuca with smoked fish and onions - delicious!
Also I have not seen plantain in Australia. Vanilla extract is much cheaper here than in Australia too. Coconut products are also expensive in Australia.
Australia has just started importing juice from açaí palms in Brazil. Açaí is very expensive, even in Brazil. I believe there is a huge potential world market for this.
Written by: williom, 3 May 2012 9:22 PM
From: United States
(( Walking on the spot and calling it dancing? ))
LMMFAO- I always wondered what that was.
Roy is still on a mission.
Written by: xwill7, 3 May 2012 10:09 PM
From: United States, El cuarto bate
wash it down with mamajuana
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 10:11 PM
From: Australia
Malpighia emarginata (Acerola, Barbados Cherry, etc.) grows well and is plentiful in the Dominican Republic. It has one of the highest concentrations of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) of any fruit, and is more readily absorbed than synthetic ascorbic acid. Australia also grows it, but in lesser quantities. I believe there is a big health-food market for this worldwide.
Written by: RoyStone, 3 May 2012 10:16 PM
From: Australia
williom,
It's called Merengue, arguably of Haitian origin. It can be much more than just walking on the spot, but in the many bars around the country, that is all you will see.
From: United States
As much as many of you can't figure out exactly what Australians are doing on the other side of the world, with an eye fixed on the DR, I can tell you one thing, Australians see opportunities where others see obstacles or blind and dont see a damn thing.
Written by: williom, 3 May 2012 10:52 PM
From: United States
Roy-
First time I witnessed this dance in the States (NJ) where the wedding DJ played the exact same type of music with the exact same tempo at about 125 BPM (Beats Per Minute) or more the whole night for 8 hours straight, the smooth and easy mixing made it feel like one long 8 hour song. I was the only dark skin person there, and virtually the only one trying to move my entire body to the beat. Almost everybody else moved like they were marching in a military exercise.
Because I could not handle the same beat and rhythm the whole night, I walked out many times. But, I could not really leave as I wanted to help out at the end. Then, came that nasty headache the next day.
It was unforgettable. That's why your comment cracks me up ;)
From: Dominican Republic
I can't believe you are actually trying to tell me that's the only DR Culture, you really are in a mission here! Au still only in the idea of culture and far from it. I do love it here, but wish I can redesign history to make it better.
Am not like you but let me drop this Vs. 4u.
Spitting on the pavement? - You spit on the aborigens and pretend no.
Playing brain-dead Hip-Hop at 95 dB? - yes a bit too laud on dB and you can't get it without culture, but so much better than waltz dance at the balls club and jingle bell rock.
or perhaps Dominican decoration of the streets and rivers with used PET, styrofoam and polyethylene? - you don't see this stuff here cause you hide it all (Including Aborigens) to pretend is a perfect world.
Walking on the spot and calling it dancing? - I know many girls here Dying for a bit of spot dancing, whats the dance here?
Getting drunk? - thats the best hehe! que tipo! not sure who get drunker Au or Dr, i'll be back to you on that one.
From: Dominican Republic
Taking your de-facto and 3 kids on a motorbike with no lights then riding into a tree? - Australia is so big and no many people for the size, go google map and watch the freeways and roads here, taking over the place and building more and more every day, traffic jam with vehicles containing only one person inside, contaminating the atmosphere, and you don't crash into a tree cause there is none in the way.
Anyway love it here, lots of blonde keen for the salsa and at the end is all same F#^#^% thing.
send me some presidente mate!
Written by: RoyStone, 4 May 2012 5:16 AM
From: Australia
williom,
A musician I suspect - hence your agony enduring Merengue, 2 bars of the dominant chord, followed by 2 bars of the tonic chord, ad-nasium, for the entire song, for every song, on a sound-system big enough for the Shea Stadium.
From: Dominican Republic
Aust has load of coal and gas, DR still has coal power plant and some gas ones now too.. As Aust is shutting down/converting it coal plants to gas and finding other sources there is a lot more to sell...
If you opened a nuclear power plant we could sell you uranium too..
More Aust wine would be nice to see in the shops..
Written by: RoyStone, 4 May 2012 8:53 AM
From: Australia
Sadly true, stillhere,
Sad because "renewables" are far more expensive than coal for electricity, and the even better option, nuclear power, is not even being considered, despite having the biggest deposits in the world, the safest places to store the waste, and government that would ensure it is properly regulated - a silly country in my view.
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This vital relationship needs your push forward. So don't let some get you down, stay strong and help develop a better relationship between the Aussies and Dominicans. I know you mean well unlike D.
We could start with trading some female assets for some female Aussies? LOL
We'll even include D as a side dish best handled with care. Some Kangaroos in exchange LOL
Hello earth calling Roy Stone.......hello......
No response......maybe he was killed by the vigilante posse that was after him..uhmm.
Happily trade Australian women for Dominican women. Dominican men deserve Australian women and vice versa. Somehow I don't think that is what they were discussing, which begs the question, what else is there to discuss?
I don't think so.
Australia generally produces enough for domestic consumption and and some export, both tropical and temperate. The Dominican Republic produces almost twice as many bananas, however when there is a shortage, (for example after a recent hurricane in Queensland) there are many other banana-producing countries (like Fiji and New Guinea) that are much closer and less corrupt.
I don't know why, but most bananas in San Cristobal supermarket are bruised, whereas I can by Queensland bananas in Melbourne, thousands of kms away, without bruises.
We could import some kangaroos, to help with public transportation here, (joke), and export a million of our illegal Haitian "brothers", that can help Australian agriculture and construction pursuits.
From: Australia
Australia import fruit from the Dominican Republic, Danny00?
I don't think so.
Australia generally produces enough for domestic consumption and and some export, both tropical and temperate. The Dominican Republic produces almost twice as many bananas, however when there is a shortage, (for example after a recent hurricane in Queensland) there are many other banana-producing countries (like Fiji and New Guinea) that are much closer and less corrupt.
I don't know why, but most bananas in San Cristobal supermarket are bruised, whereas I can by Queensland bananas in Melbourne, thousands of kms away, without bruises.
--
Tha means they are NATURAL, i made an exoperment with an apple on USA, it was nice , red and round as it should be, i left it on the open for 2 months and IT DID NOT ROT!!! therefore it must have been a genetically modified sh!t
When you have DR women, you do not need outside women! DR women are the best
What Dominican "culture" did you have in mind? Spitting on the pavement? Playing brain-dead Hip-Hop at 95 dB? or perhaps Dominican decoration of the streets and rivers with used PET, styrofoam and polyethylene? Maybe Dominican architecture - barred windows and 8 ft razor-wire topped walls? Walking on the spot and calling it dancing? Getting drunk, taking your de-facto and 3 kids on a motorbike with no lights then riding into a tree?
You are right. You'd have no use for a world-famous opera-house, 10,000 year-old Aboriginal dances, Olympic-games stadiums, etc.
So what doubble-blind control did you use in your biological experiment, and how many variables did you ensurer remained constant? What value do you get for the chi-square test to ensure your results were valid?
I agree about the root vegetables. I just downed some yuca with smoked fish and onions - delicious!
Also I have not seen plantain in Australia. Vanilla extract is much cheaper here than in Australia too. Coconut products are also expensive in Australia.
Australia has just started importing juice from açaí palms in Brazil. Açaí is very expensive, even in Brazil. I believe there is a huge potential world market for this.
LMMFAO- I always wondered what that was.
Roy is still on a mission.
It's called Merengue, arguably of Haitian origin. It can be much more than just walking on the spot, but in the many bars around the country, that is all you will see.
As much as many of you can't figure out exactly what Australians are doing on the other side of the world, with an eye fixed on the DR, I can tell you one thing, Australians see opportunities where others see obstacles or blind and dont see a damn thing.
First time I witnessed this dance in the States (NJ) where the wedding DJ played the exact same type of music with the exact same tempo at about 125 BPM (Beats Per Minute) or more the whole night for 8 hours straight, the smooth and easy mixing made it feel like one long 8 hour song. I was the only dark skin person there, and virtually the only one trying to move my entire body to the beat. Almost everybody else moved like they were marching in a military exercise.
Because I could not handle the same beat and rhythm the whole night, I walked out many times. But, I could not really leave as I wanted to help out at the end. Then, came that nasty headache the next day.
It was unforgettable. That's why your comment cracks me up ;)
Am not like you but let me drop this Vs. 4u.
Spitting on the pavement? - You spit on the aborigens and pretend no.
Playing brain-dead Hip-Hop at 95 dB? - yes a bit too laud on dB and you can't get it without culture, but so much better than waltz dance at the balls club and jingle bell rock.
or perhaps Dominican decoration of the streets and rivers with used PET, styrofoam and polyethylene? - you don't see this stuff here cause you hide it all (Including Aborigens) to pretend is a perfect world.
Walking on the spot and calling it dancing? - I know many girls here Dying for a bit of spot dancing, whats the dance here?
Getting drunk? - thats the best hehe! que tipo! not sure who get drunker Au or Dr, i'll be back to you on that one.
Anyway love it here, lots of blonde keen for the salsa and at the end is all same F#^#^% thing.
send me some presidente mate!
A musician I suspect - hence your agony enduring Merengue, 2 bars of the dominant chord, followed by 2 bars of the tonic chord, ad-nasium, for the entire song, for every song, on a sound-system big enough for the Shea Stadium.
Aust has load of coal and gas, DR still has coal power plant and some gas ones now too.. As Aust is shutting down/converting it coal plants to gas and finding other sources there is a lot more to sell...
If you opened a nuclear power plant we could sell you uranium too..
More Aust wine would be nice to see in the shops..
Sad because "renewables" are far more expensive than coal for electricity, and the even better option, nuclear power, is not even being considered, despite having the biggest deposits in the world, the safest places to store the waste, and government that would ensure it is properly regulated - a silly country in my view.