FOREIGN
RELATIONS
The Dominican Republic has a close relationship with the United States and with the other states of the inter-American system. It has accredited diplomatic missions in most Western Hemisphere countries and in principal European capitals. Newly elected president of Haiti René Préval made a working visit to Santo Domingo in March 2006, reciprocating Leonel Fernández’s call on the Interim Government of Haiti in December 2005. The Dominican Government has regularly appealed for international support for its island neighbor.
There
is a sizeable Haitian migrant community in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic belongs to the UN and many of its specialized
and related agencies, including the World Bank, International
Labor Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, and International
Civil Aviation Organization. It also is a member of the OAS, and
the Inter-American Development Bank.
U.S.-DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC RELATIONS
The U.S. has a strong interest in a democratic, stable, and economically
healthy Dominican Republic. The country’s standing as the
largest Caribbean economy, second-largest country in terms of
population and land mass, large bilateral trade with the United
States, and its proximity to the United States and other smaller
Caribbean nations make the Dominican Republic an important partner
in hemispheric affairs. The embassy estimates that 60,000 U.S.
citizens live in the Dominican Republic; many are dual nationals.
An important element of the relationship between the two countries
is the fact that more than 1 million Dominicans reside in the
United States, most of them in the metropolitan Northeast and
some in Florida.
U.S. relations with the Dominican Republic are excellent, and the U.S. has been an outspoken supporter of that country's democratic and economic development. The Dominican Government has been supportive of many U.S. initiatives in the United Nations and related agencies. The two governments cooperate in the fight against the traffic in illegal substances. The Dominican Republic has worked closely with U.S. law enforcement officials on issues such as the extradition of fugitives and measures to hinder illegal migration.
The United States supports the Fernández administration's efforts to improve Dominican competitiveness, to attract foreign private investment, to fight corruption, and to modernize the tax system. Bilateral trade is important to both countries. U.S. firms, mostly manufacturers of apparel, footwear, and light electronics, account for much of the foreign private investment in the Dominican Republic.
Exports from the United States, including those from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to the Dominican Republic in 2005 totaled $4.7 billion, up 8% from the previous year. The Dominican Republic exported $4.6 billion to the United States in 2005, equaling some 75% of its export revenues. U.S. goods exports in 2006 (January-September) were $5.2 billion, up 17.8% from the previous year. Corresponding U.S. imports (January-September) from the Dominican Republic were $4.5 billion, up 16.3%. The Dominican Republic is currently the 35th largest export market for U.S. goods. The U.S. Embassy works closely with U.S. business firms and Dominican trade groups, both of which can take advantage of the new opportunities in this growing market. At the same time the Embassy is working with the Dominican Government to resolve business disputes from previous administrations.
The Embassy counsels U.S. firms through its Country Commercial Guide and informally via meetings with business persons planning to invest or already investing in the Dominican Republic. This is a challenging business environment for U.S. firms, especially for medium to smaller sized businesses.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) mission is focused on four areas: availability of health care, increasing economic opportunity, improving participation in democratic processes, and environmentally sound energy production.
DEFENSE
Congress authorizes a combined military force of 44,000 active duty personnel. Actual active duty strength is approximately 32,000. However, approximately 50% of those are used for non-military activities such as security providers for government-owned non-military facilities, highway toll stations, prisons, forestry work, state enterprises, and private businesses. The Commander in Chief of the military is the President. The principal missions are to defend the nation and protect the territorial integrity of the country. The army, larger than the other services combined with approximately 20,000 active duty personnel, consists of six infantry brigades, a combat support brigade, and a combat service support brigade. The air force operates two main bases, one in the southern region near Santo Domingo and one in the northern region near Puerto Plata. The navy operates two major naval bases, one in Santo Domingo and one in Las Calderas on the southwestern coast, and maintains 12 operational vessels. In the Caribbean, only Cuba has a larger military force.
The armed forces have organized a Specialized Airport Security Corps (CESA) and a Specialized Port Security Corps (CESEP) to meet international security needs in these areas. The Secretary of the Armed Forces has also announced plans to form a specialized border corps (CESEF). Additionally, the armed forces provide 75% of personnel to the National Investigations Directorate (DNI) and the Counter-Drug Directorate (DNCD).
The Dominican National Police force contains 32,000 agents. The police are not part of the Dominican armed forces, but share some overlapping security functions. Sixty-three percent of the force serve in areas outside traditional police functions, similar to the situation of their military counterparts..
Principal U.S. Officials
Ambassador--Paul Robert Fannin
Deputy Chief of Mission--Roland Bullen
USAID Mission Director--Richard Goughnour
Consul General--Michael Schimmel
Economic and Political Counselor--Daniel Bellegarde
Public Affairs Adviser--Gary Ketih
Commercial Counselor (DOC/FCS)--Laura Gimenez (Acting)
Defense Attaché--Lt. Col. Fred Fagan (U.S. Marine Corps)
The U.S. Embassy is located at the corner of Calle César Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Gazcué District, Santo Domingo (tel. 809-221-2171).
