The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, in an interview with the Financial Times, expressed his concern about national security in a context of growing crisis in Haiti and explained that due to the current context, he does not consider the presence of the Haitian Prime Minister in the Dominican Republic as appropriate, alleging that this decision was taken in the interest of safeguarding national security.

A statement which comes at a time of tension and violence in Haiti, where gangs have challenged the authority of the Government, further complicating the political and social situation in the region underlines a press release from the Dominican Government.

Abinader also stressed that the crisis in Haiti not only represents a humanitarian challenge, but also constitutes a direct threat to the stability and security of the Dominican Republic.

Likewise, he reiterated that the Dominican Republic has closed its 390 km land border with Haiti since the recent increase in violence, implementing strict restrictions on the movement of goods and people.

In his interview he regretted the absence of Government and authority in Haiti, describing the security situation as "totally unsustainable", mainly in the South of Haiti and in Port-au-Prince. For this reason he once again called on the international community to join efforts to pacify Haiti and develop a viable plan towards democratic elections, affirming that without a legitimate government and a significant reduction in violence, the electoral process will not be viable.

SL/ HaitiLibre