During the last high-level meeting, the Dominican minister said on Wednesday in an interview that State Security agencies established the evacuation protocol for both Dominican citizens and personnel of international organizations.

The diplomat confirmed that the Dominican embassy in Haiti has coordinated the evacuation of personnel from at least nine countries and institutions, such as the World Bank and the European Union, but stated that for security reasons he cannot offer further details.

Álvarez explained the procedure that the organizations must follow so that the Dominican Republic supports them with the evacuation and said that the list of evacuees is purged by the Intelligence and Security organizations to guarantee that no person who enters the country threatens its interests.

He specified that there are requirements from Public Health, Immigration, and the Civil Aviation Board (JAC) in place, which must be met.

Regarding the security of the diplomatic personnel of the Dominican Republic in Haiti, Álvarez explained that the embassy remains open, taking into account the number of Dominicans residing in Haiti.

He pointed out that in the event of a risk situation, the embassy – whose security has been reinforced – has a heliport that will allow Dominican diplomats to be flown to Jimaní, in the Dominican Republic, in a few minutes.

jrr/llp/jha/mpv