President Luis Abinader said Oct. 25 that the Dominican Republic had added two battalions to its southern border deployment, with heavy equipment and artillery, as the government monitored developments in Haiti.
Abinader said about 11,000 troops were already in the border area before the reinforcement. The Dominican Presidency said the government was assessing possible effects of the situation in Haiti on Dominican territory.
The Presidency had scheduled a special edition of La Agenda Semanal for 7 p.m. UTC (3 p.m. Dominican Republic time) on Oct. 26, two hours before its usual 9 p.m. UTC start; its announcement did not say whether the program aired. Planned participants included Defense Minister Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre, Foreign Affairs Minister Víctor Bisonó and senior military commanders. The program was set to address the border situation and the crisis in Haiti.
The Dominican Presidency said Abinader had planned to speak with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele on Oct. 26 about actions in Haiti and possible effects on Dominican territory, but did not confirm whether the call took place.
Separately, the Dominican and Canadian foreign ministers discussed support for Haitian-led security efforts and cooperation against cross-border crime in Ottawa on Oct. 19, as EconoTimes previously reported.
