Dominican Republic (DR)
Bilateral relations between India and the Dominican Republic (DR) have been friendly and continue to deepen in all spheres. Diplomatic relations between India and Dominican Republic were established in May, 1999. Dominican Republic opened its Embassy in New Delhi on 1st May 2006. India opened its resident Embassy in Santo Domingo on 1st January 2022. EAM Dr. S Jaishankar paid an official visit to Dominican Republic from 27-29 April 2023 and inaugurated the Embassy together with DR Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez in the presence of Vice President Raquel Peña, President of Senate and Ministers of Defence and Higher Education. DR was one of the first signatories of the Framework Agreement on International Solar Alliance. It is also an active member of CDRI. Vice President Raqel Peña paid an official visit to India from 3-5 October 2023
Cooperation to tackle the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic
- In April 2020, India had donated 200,000 tablets of Hydroxychloroquine. India again donated second tranche of 536 boxes of medicines weighing 7170 kgs and protective gears. The donation included antibiotics, analgesics, antiviral, vitamins, diuretics, surgical gowns and gloves, as well as sampling tubes, swabs and thermometers, among other supplies.
- Under the Vaccine Maitri Initiative, SII (Serum Institute of India) supplied 20,000 doses of Covishield vaccines to Dominican Republic (DR) in February 2021 as part of a commercial deal between the DR Government and SII.
- Second and final tranche of 90,000 doses of vaccines reached in January 2022. Separately in February 2021, India donated 30,000 doses of Covishield vaccines to DR.
Capacity Building & Other Exchanges
- 18 DR professionals were trained at a customized course on Cyber Security and Malware Analytics from 21 November 2022 to 16 December 2022 at C-DAC, Mohali. In another special course on Remote Sensing, 14 Dominican professionals were trained at IIRS, Dehradun from 9 January to 3 March 2023.
- 2 Dominican professionals attended the UNIspace Nano Satellite Assembly & Training (UNNATI) organized by ISRO from 15 October 2022 to 15 December 2022 at UR Rao Satellite Centre, Bengaluru.
- DR is also being offered slots under PCFD programme run by the SSIFS. Till date 13 DR diplomats have undergone training programmes at SSIFS including a special course for 8 diplomats in 2018. In June 2021, a special virtual session on ‘Reformed Multilateralism’ was organized by SSIFS with the participation of 72 diplomats/students from INESDYC (DR Diplomatic Institute) and diplomats from their Missions in Geneva and New York. The 2nd special course for 21 DR diplomats was successfully organized at SSIFS from 20-29 September 2023.
- MoD also, for the first time, included DR under ITEC Defence programme starting from the academic year 2023-24. Two courses are offered to DR.
- A group of Dominican youth leaders comprising of Luis Báez, Deputy Representative of the Province of Peravia; Natalia Mármol, Civil Rights Activist; and Roselvis Vargas, Strategic Communication Advisor of the Social Policy Cabinet of the Presidency participated in ICCR’s 6th GenNext Program from 10-19 October 2022.
- Since 1999, Government of India has been offering annual slots to the Dominican Republic for training in various institutions in India under the ITEC programme. As part of capacity building trainings, nearly 97 professionals from Dominican Republic have been trained in India under ITEC since 2002. Of these, 57 professionals have been trained just in the previous 9 years since 2014-15.
Development Cooperation (Grants/ LoCs/ Assistance)
- A large quantity of life saving drugs worth USD 50,000 was donated to Dominican Republic in March 2006. There had been widespread damage to life and property in Dominican Republic due the Tropical Storm Noel in Oct-Nov 2007. Upon the official request of the Government of Dominican Republic, India donated the medicines as humanitarian assistance.
