Newly appointed Dominican Republic Ambassador to Jamaica, Angie Shakira Martínez Tejera kick-started her diplomatic mission on the island on Friday (May 7), having presented her credentials to Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith.

Martínez, an international lawyer, was the first-ever accredited ambassador to be received in the ministry’s new Port Royal Street headquarters in downtown Kingston.

The ambassador—joined by her husband and the Dominican Republic’s Permanent Representative to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) based in Kingston, Edward Perez, as well as Consular at the Dominican Republic Embassy in Jamaica, Hamlet Gomez—was introduced to Senator Johnson Smith by Director of Protocol Franz Hall.

Martínez Tejera becomes the first female ambassador to the English-speaking nation since Filomena Navarro, and immediately succeeds Jose Tomas Ares, whose missions ended in 2009 and 2019 respectively.

Mrs Martínez Tejera hailed the 57 years of diplomatic relations between the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.

In her opening remarks, Martínez Tejera said that the Dominican Republic has sought to re-strengthen ties with Jamaica as it views the island as a leader within the Caribbean.

Ambassador Martínez later paid a visit to King’s House in St Andrew, where she also presented her credentials to Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen.

Appointed by President Luis Abinader, Martínez Tejera has over 17 years of diplomatic experience and previously represented the Dominican Republic in Madrid, Paris and at the United Nations (UN) in Geneva.