New Delhi/Santo Domingo, Apr 30 (FN?Bureau) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Dominican counterpart Roberto Álvarez agreed on the need to join efforts to expand trade and promote investment through the regular exchange of business delegations between the two countries. A joint statement issued after their talks, also highlighted the relevance of the business meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, with the participation of a delegation of businessmen from the Confederation of Industries of India (CII), and the National Council of Private Enterprise of the Dominican Republic (CONEP).
The two sides appreciated the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), as a substantial step in bringing the private business sectors of both countries closer together, a joint statement issued said. Both expressed deep satisfaction with the signing of framework agreements between the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology (MESCYT) of the Dominican Republic, and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Delhi), International Institute of Information Technology (IIT-Bangalore). The framework agreements set the pathway for the inclusion of these Indian institutions in Dominican Republic’s National Scholarship Program with the objective that Dominican students pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics in India. In addition, both countries committed to jointly promote the Dominican Republic as a higher education destination for Indian students. Both sides conveyed their satisfaction on finalizing the negotiations on the following agreements: Protocol on Joint Economic and Trade Cooperation (JETCO) between the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry of India, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic; a MoU between the Central Drug Control Organization of India (CDSCO) and the General Directorate of Medicines, Food, and Health Products of the Dominican Republic (DIGEMAPS) and a MoU between the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Ministry of AYUSH, India and Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Ureña (UNPHU) on the establishment of an ‘Academic Chair’ at the university. Both sides manifested their willingness to advance the negotiations for the signing of different bilateral instruments, amongst which stand out the agreements between the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Dominican Republic and the Ministry of Education of India; between the National Institute of Oceanography of India and the National Maritime Affairs Authority of the Dominican Republic; and between the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic and the National Book Trust of India, at a future date.
They welcomed the inclusion of the Dominican Republic into the ITEC-Defense scheme, which will allow armed forces personnel of the Dominican Republic to train in India. They agreed on the need to expand technical exchanges and good practices in the context of South-South cooperation, in the areas of information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence, biotechnologies, space exploration, and satellite data management, among others. Both sides gave consent on joint initiatives to promote renewable energy, both within the framework of the bilateral agreement on renewable energy signed in 2015 and in the context of the International Solar Alliance. Reaffirmed their willingness to work together in the fight against climate change and its effects, joining efforts to carry out joint research and strengthen capacities in the areas of marine science, meteorology, risk management, prevention, and early warning systems. Recognized the importance of the work being carried out by both countries within the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructures (CDRI) framework, India as co-chair and the Dominican Republic as the representative in the Executive Committee of Small Island Developing States, for the period 2022-2024. Expressed satisfaction with the recent dynamism of training exchanges between India and the Dominican Republic and expressed their willingness to expand these programs in cybersecurity, Big Data management, and information technology. Reiterated the importance of cultural and people to people linkages between the two nations and agreed to not only continue but further strengthen bilateral exchanges in music, dance, art, cinema, and literature.
Celebrated the installation of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Santo Domingo and the inauguration of a pavilion dedicated to India at Faro a Colón Museum, as tangible signs of friendship between the peoples of the Dominican Republic and India. They also emphasized the need for urgent and comprehensive reforms of the UN Security Council to reflect contemporary realities, and called for early reforms through a text-based process in the Intergovernmental Negotiations with the aim of achieving concrete outcomes in a fixed time-frame, and in consultation with all member states in a transparent and inclusive manner and in keeping with relevant provisions of the UN Charter. On Terrorism, they acknowledged the serious threat posed by terrorism to international peace and security, they strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They reaffirmed their commitment to contributing to global efforts to combat terrorism, by adopting a zero tolerance approach. In this regard, Minister Álvarez welcomed the adoption of the “Delhi Declaration on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes” at the Special Session of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). They also called for an expeditious finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the UN framework, the statement said.