Abel Martínez responds firmly to statements by the Haitian government

Former mayor of Santiago and presidential candidate for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Abel Martínez , described as "an unacceptable affront " the recent statements by Haitian Defense Minister Jean Michel Moïse , who accused the Dominican Republic of being part of the deterioration of security in that country.

During a special session at the Organization of American States ( OAS ), the Haitian official pointed to the Dominican Republic as a key route for arms trafficking that fuels gangs in Haiti , an accusation that Martinez categorically rejected.

"The Haitian minister intends to divert attention from the real problem: a country hijacked by criminal gangs , run by a corrupt elite , without institutional controls, and whose population flees daily in the face of lack of services, security and opportunities," said Martinez.

He argued that the Dominican Republic has, in fact, been a victim of the Haitian collapse, facing decades of massive, disorderly, and illegal migration , "which has tested our hospitality, educational, labor, and national security capacity ."

" The Dominican Republic does not produce weapons or drugs, nor does it bear any responsibility for the structural tragedy consuming the Haitian state. What we have done is welcome millions of Haitian citizens, often without their own country having lifted a finger on their behalf," declared the former Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

Martínez acknowledged that transnational crime in the region requires cooperation between countries , but warned that such cooperation "cannot mean that the Dominican Republic alone carries the burden of a failed state."

Lack of firmness

In this regard, he also noted that part of the problem has been the lack of firmness on the part of the various Dominican governments—especially the current one—which have acted with excessive tolerance in the face of the massive illegal influx of Haitians , weakening border controls and ceding ground in the defense of national sovereignty.

"The responsibility to protect our identity and our boundaries is non-delegable, and it can no longer be postponed ," he said.

"Dominican sovereignty is non-negotiable. We will continue to defend our laws, our borders , and our right to decide who enters our territory. We will not accept being used as a scapegoat for a crisis that others have created and fueled," he emphasized.

Finally, Abel Martínez called on the international community to take the Haitian tragedy seriously, support the reconstruction of its institutions, and act firmly against the criminal networks operating in that country. " The Dominican Republic will not be held hostage to the irresponsibility of those who never knew how or never wanted to govern with dignity," he concluded.

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