Dominican Republic should nix CARICOM entry for now: Promoter

Santo Domingo.- The head of the Roundtable Commonwealth Countries in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday asked the Dominican Government to withdraw its request for membership in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) regional bloc.

Fernando Gonzalez Nicolas, one of the main promoters of the country’s membership to CARICOM and other economic blocs, noted however that becoming an active member of CARICOM currently makes no political or economic sense for Dominican interests.

"Dominican Republic already forms part of CARICOM in several forums such as CARIFORUM and the Free Trade Agreement between CARICOM and the Dominican Republic," the business leader said.

In that regard, Gonzalez Nicolas asked the Dominican Gov. to design and enact a new international diplomatic offensive to show the official measures on immigration to the leaders of the English Caribbean .

“It’s necessary to draft a document in English on the significant efforts we Dominicans make to regularize Haitians born in the Dominican Republic before 2010 and also disclose how much the Dominican Republic invests in seeking Haiti’s welfare, which is much more than what all CARICOM states have done put together,” said the head of the Roundtable in a statement.

Caution

Nonetheless Gonzalez Nicolas cautioned against underestimating the small Caribbean islands, “because these nations act as a bloc with voice and vote in international forums where what’s discussed and decided is of interest to the Dominican Republic. CARICOM countries are well networked internationally.”

“It behooves the Dominican Republic to make efforts to bolster ties with our English Caribbean neighbors,” added Gonzalez Nicolas.