Antigua and Barbuda is set to deepen economic and cultural ties with the Dominican Republic.

This was confirmed during discussions last week held between Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda and president Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic. These discussions took place on the margins of the current United Nations General Assembly.

Both Browne and Abinader spoke about “deepening the cooperation between both countries given their strong historical and economic ties.” They concluded the bilateral meeting by agreeing to increase the exchange of official state visits between their countries.

Details of the bilateral talk

During the dialogue, Browne “laid out a clear plan of engagement that would be pursued on a two-tiered basis,” a statement released by the Antigua and Barbuda Government said. Browne also proposed increased airlink between both countries “that will facilitate trade and tourism between their two countries.”

“For the first level, which deals with global issues, Prime Minister Browne presented an official invitation to President Abinader to attend the fourth UN Conference on Small Island States that will take place in May 2024,” the statement read. Additionally, the statement said Browne encouraged the Dominican Republic to formally join the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS).

Formed in 2021, COSIS’s mandate is “to assist small states in defining and developing international law on the rules associated with climate change,” the statement said. It added that this allowed for COSIS to recently pursue a ground-breaking matter before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.

On bilateral matters, the statement said Abinader indicated to Browne that his government will “move swiftly with the allocation of funds regarding the construction of a school in Barbuda and will also support Antiguans and Barbudans to attend baseball training camps, given the increased interest in the sport on island.”

The prime minister thanked president Abinader for his generous offer and reiterated the government offer of lands to build an Embassy of the Dominican Republic in Antigua.

President Abinader in return shared his enthusiasm about Prime Minister Browne’s proposal and reciprocally committed to his government working on a new cooperation agreement with Antigua and Barbuda, whereby these areas of cooperation will be enhanced.