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Welcome to India, Ambassador. Now that you have settled down, so to speak, what are your impressions of India?
I am from a tropical country, so the climate was not a great shock to my system. What is striking is how India holds its traditions dear. One can certainly see Western influence here in Delhi, but one also gets a sense of the rich unique culture that has survived for centuries. You can see this in cuisine, spirituality, music, dress, and so on. I am especially struck by the beauty of Indian fabrics—I send kurtas and dupattas to my relatives very often. I will admit that I am still getting accustomed to very spicy food however!
Are there any high-level visits planned between the two countries in the near future?
We at the Embassy of the Dominican Republic are very excited about President Leonel Fernandez’ upcoming visit to India in January. It will be a great opportunity to stress the importance of our presence in South Asia. In addition, the Minister of Investment and Exports will be arriving for a visit in November. We expect a number of additional high-level visits in 2007.
Many Indians are not much aware of the Dominican Republic and vice versa. What can and should be done to remedy this? What will be your agenda in this respect as Ambassador?
Raising awareness, both of the Dominican Republic and of India, is my first and foremost challenge. Some steps are already being taken; for example in May a photo exhibition was held in our capital city chronicling the life and message of Gandhi. Fostering cultural exchange is a key component of our Embassy’s mission here in Delhi. Various Dominican cultural events, which will be jointly coordinated with MEA and the ICCR, are in the works for the upcoming months.
President Leonel Fernandez Reyna has stabilized the country’s financial situation and the economy is growing at a healthy rate after the negative growth faced in 2003—which was partially due to the decline in the US economy that year. Are new markets for export being sought, what with the US currently accounting for nearly 80% of DR’s export revenues?
Not only have we opened our new Embassy in Delhi, but also new Missions have been established in Qatar and Russia, as well as South Africa in the near future. The Heads of Missions in these new Embassies will be concurrent with other neighbouring countries, in order to further pursue economic and diplomatic opportunities in the region. My Embassy, for example, will be concurrent with Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei. The DR is placing a lot of importance on relations with India and Southeast Asia. Moreover, our President and Minister of Foreign Affairs are looking for a new mould of diplomats abroad—ones that will proactively seek out new business and investment opportunities that will benefit the population. So the Dominican Republic is undoubtedly seeking out new markets, not just in North America but in Asia and all over the world; we have no doubt that the DR is a very attractive location for foreign investment and trade because of its natural resources, free trade zones, affordable labour, and of course wonderful tourist destinations.
Unemployment remains an important challenge in DR, and the country still suffers from marked income inequality: the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of the national income. What steps are being taken to address this disparity?
The problem of income inequality is by no means unique to the DR. This problem plagues many developing countries. Our current administration is dedicated to improving the standard of living of all Dominicans with such things as expanded energy infrastructure and increased access to quality education. I believe that inroads are being made. For one, there is a new program sponsored by the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (INDOTEL) that will set up centres offering training in computer proficiency and English skills.
How have DR’s development prospects improved with the ratification of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) in 2005?
Well, it’s a tricky issue. The DR-CAFTA agreement has yet to be fully implemented in the Dominican Republic, because there are still details being ironed out. Traditionally, the DR has enjoyed such things as duty free access to the US market and preferential treatment for its exports to the US. With DR-CAFTA, the nature of the game is changing somewhat. The same benefits may not continue. However, experts generally agree that only with free trade agreements like DR-CAFTA can the DR remain competitive in a global economy that has such superpowers as China and of course India. The consensus is that DR-CAFTA will boost two-way trade and investment for the DR and will help make our country a business hub for the Central American region and even the U.S.
In recent years, the service sector has overtaken agriculture as DR’s largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. In India, the service sector accounts for half of GDP. Could you elaborate on the synergies that exist in this sector between the two countries?
First of all, I would love to see a future in which a large number of Indian tourists enjoy Dominican beaches and handicrafts and Dominican tourists explore India’s myriad cultural and natural attractions. I am doing all I can to push airlines to provide direct flights between the Dominican Republic and India, or at the very least direct flights between Latin America and Asia. As it stands, Latin American and Indian visitors face the obstacle of obtaining visas from the U.S. or Europe. This is an obstacle for all types of South-South Cooperation, as well as to trade, cultural exchange, and tourism between our countries and regions. And of course, both the DR and India have to work hard to improve the service industry in light of increasing competition. A challenge that faces both countries is expanding the service infrastructure while at the same time protecting labourers and the environment.
What are or can be the other sectors of mutual interest between the two countries?
It’s unfortunate that baseball isn’t popular in India, because Dominicans view baseball as our national sport. Conversely, if the DR had any experience with cricket (as do our neighbours the British West Indies) we wouldn’t have any need to raise awareness here in India! We do need to work on finding points where our interests intersect. Already, India’s relations with Latin America are friendly, and India even has Memorandums of Understanding with a number of Latin American countries. I am especially hopeful that we can generate cultural interest on both sides as both countries have so much to offer. The DR has a rich array of musical and artistic talent these days. As many Indians are already interested in salsa dancing, we’d like to introduce our merengue and bachata dances as well. Latin American culture is pivotal to the Western hemisphere.
India’s Bollywood spends huge sums each year seeking exotic locales for shooting. Should not the DR—with its idyllic settings—plan to lure some of this lucrative business?
I couldn’t agree more. A number of high profile films have been shot on location in the DR, most recently a film with Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie, and Matt Damon called “The Good Shepherd.” Most famously, The Godfather II had a number of scenes filmed in Santo Domingo’s National Palace. The DR not only has idyllic beach settings, but also beautiful mountain ranges, and in the major cities there are old colonial districts reminiscent of Cuba’s. Moreover, the DR has a large pool of residents to play extras or to be great backup dancers in the all-important dance scenes. I would also love to see the DR become a North American centre for post-production processing and distribution; its location and economic relationship with the U.S. make it more than ideal as a prospect for Bollywood movie producers.
An ideal way to strengthen a relationship is through people to people contact such as student exchange programmes and cultural exchanges. Do any exist currently or are any being planned for the future?
As of yet there are no formal exchange programs, but I would definitely like to see students travelling between the two countries. The DR is a great place to study medicine and of course Spanish and Latin American History. As for other exchanges, I recently hosted Marcos Diaz, a Dominican long distance swimmer and world record holder. He participated in an 81 kilometre swimming competition in the Bhagirathi River which was organized by the Mushirabad Swimming Association and the India Swimming Federation. We are very proud to say that Marcos won first place, so we know that many Dominicans will be reading about this Indian organized international event.
Any other comments you may wish to make….
Thank you for your time; it’s been a pleasure answering your questions.
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