The Italian Legacy in the Dominican Republic

205

Medina was announced as honorary president of the committee responsible for all the activities connected to

the 500

anniversary.

President Medina’s visit to Rome moved beyond matters of historical ties and celebrations, as Dominican

Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas signed public policy accords with the Italian government in areas such as

criminal extradition, legal assistance, agricultural development, and scientific collaboration. In particular, the

agreements on judicial cooperation and extradition, signed after more than 40 years of stalled negotiations,

were an important signal of the renewed strength and direction of the relations between Italy and the Domin-

ican Republic. Dominican Foreign Minister Miguel Vargas and his team from the Ministry of External Rela-

tions also pledged to move forward with new agreements designed to solidify legal, diplomatic, and economic

ties with Italy. Ambassador Canepari summed up the importance of the visit of President Medina in a news-

paper commentary, stating, “The future of Italian-Dominican relations is promising and filled with growing

opportunities… and building on 120 years of friendship and collaboration, the Italian-Dominican relationship

can only expand with increased travel, investment, and cultural exchanges.”

In recent years there have been numerous occasions on which the centuries-old bond of friendship be-

tween Italy and the Dominican Republic has been noticeably visible. There have been conferences and visits

by Italian professors, architects, artists, and engineers who have met with their Dominican counterparts. Of

particular note, on September 19, 2019, a

Te Deum

was celebrated in the First Cathedral of the Americas to

inaugurate the cultural year for the 5th Centenary of the arrival of the first resident bishop and builder of the

cathedral, Alessandro Geraldini, in Santo Domingo. The

Te Deum

was officiated by the Archbishop of Santo

Domingo, H.E.R. Monsignor Francisco Ozoria and in the presence of the First Lady of the Dominican Repub-

lic, Cándida de Medina; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Miguel Vargas; the Ambassador of Italy to the Domin-

ican Republic, H.E. Andrea Canepari; the Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Italy, H.E. Alba María

Cabral; Dominican officials; the diplomatic corps; and personalities from the economic and cultural worlds of

the Dominican Republic. Also, on that occasion, Minister Vargas pointed out that the relations between Italy

and the Dominican Republic were at their highest point. In pondering the qualities, talents, and interests of

Prelate Geraldini, the Foreign Minister said that he was a great humanist and intellectual who had ventured

into various genres, writing numerous works on theology and poetry, as well as treatises on politics and edu-

cation. Minister Miguel Vargas said that many people refer to Geraldini by highlighting his great qualities as a

human being and his desire to complete his greatest work, the construction of the first cathedral on the North

American continent, a work of great value and importance for Dominican culture and history.

Also of importance in the governmental relations between Italy and the Dominican Republic is the victory

of Luis Abinader as the new Dominican president in July, 2020. Abinader’s victory removed the ruling Domin-

ican Liberation Party from power, which had won every presidential election since 2004. Abinader is a tourist

industry leader, as his family controls numerous real estate and vacation sites in the country. On accepting

victory Abinader promised that he would revive the tourist industry, after the Covid-19 pandemic unleashed

a devastating blow to travel to the Dominican Republic and bookings of hotels. The impact of Abinader’s vic-

tory in the presidential election and his appointment of a new group of cabinet members and key advisers is as

yet unknown, but it is safe to say that the Italian government has already started interacting successfully with

the new leadership group, as it forms diplomatic relations and develops policy initiatives.

On September 22, 2020, accepting the invitation of Italian Ambassador Andrea Canepari, the newMinister

of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Álvarez, participated as a keynote speaker in the conference entitled “Foreign and

Commercial Policy of the Dominican Republic, in the current economic context conditioned by COVID-19,”

which began the cycle of virtual meetings organized by the Dominican-Italian Chamber of Commerce togeth-

er with the Italian Embassy in Santo Domingo. It was the first participation of a newly designated Dominican

Minister in an international event in Santo Domingo.

During the conference, Minister Álvarez expressed

the commitment of the Dominican government to relaunch the country’s relations with Italy, as reported in

CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN-DOMINICAN RELATIONS