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India and the Dominican Republic held the second round of foreign office consultations on July 1 to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations including political, trade and investment.
"The second round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Dominican Republic were held in Santo Domingo on 01 July 2022. The Indian side was led by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) and the Dominican Republic by Ambassador Jose Julio Gomez, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The consultations reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including political, trade and investment, capacity building and cooperation in science and technology including space, cyber security and artificial intelligence, higher education and cultural relations. According to MEA, multilateral and regional issues including cooperation in the UN, International Solar Alliance (ISA) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) were also discussed. The Secretary (East) called on Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez and exchanged views on strengthening bilateral relations. During the discussion, the host country appreciated the establishment of India's resident Mission in Santo Domingo on 1 January 2022. Both sides acknowledged the potential to further deepen relations including expanding trade which grew over 100 per cent to reach USD 1 billion mark. India is the fourth largest trade partner of the Dominican Republic. The consultations were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere. Both sides agreed to hold the next round of consultations at a mutually convenient date in New Delhi. The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region remained an important area of focus for Indian foreign policy during the year, according to MEA annual report. Last year, India continued its efforts to strengthen and diversify its relationship with the LAC countries despite the restrictions imposed by the global pandemic. On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic Roberto Alvarez on September 21, 2021. (ANI)
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