From 16 to 17 August, Italian Undersecretary of State Giorgio Silli paid an institutional visit to the Dominican Republic – by proxy of Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani – to attend the swearing-in ceremony for the President of the Republic Luis Abinader Corona, who was re-elected for a second term in the elections held on 19 May.
“Italy and the Dominican Republic are bound by strong ties of friendship, as nurtured by the presence of a large community of people of Italian descent – one of the oldest in Latin America – which is fully established both in the political-institutional sphere and in the business world,” commented Silli, who highlighted the interesting dynamism of the local economy, trusting that “Italian companies will be able to seize the opportunities offered by the Dominican market.”
During the visit, Undersecretary Silli had a meeting with the Dominican Minister of Industry, Trade, and SMEs, Víctor Orlando Bisonó Haza, who confirmed the excellent state of relations between the two countries on a political and economic level. The Undersecretary also visited the assembly centre for the TP-75 Dulus training and reconnaissance aircraft, as produced by the Italian company Flying Legend. There, he discussed possible prospects for collaboration in the defence industry sector.
The Political Dialogue Mechanism, which was established in 2022 and is convened on a regular basis, and President Mattarella’s meeting with President Abinader at the Quirinale last May, have made it possible to consolidate and re-launch bilateral relations, especially at the economic and business level. The visit is part of the broader framework of the relaunch of Italian action towards Latin America, as promoted since the beginning of his mandate by Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani.
On the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony, Undersecretary Silli also had the opportunity to confirm the importance Italy attaches to the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, by adhering, along with the EU and 21 other countries – including Argentina, Chile, Panama, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Dominican Republic, Spain and the United States – to a Joint Declaration.
