Русский
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has been visiting the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic in the first visit to the country by a Russian Minister. Lavrov has been in Santo Domingo, the capital, arriving from Brazil where he attended a BRICS foreign ministers meeting.
He held meetings with his Dominican counterpart, Roberto Alvarez, and the President Luis Abinader.
The Dominican Republic is a strategic country for Russia as it looks to shore up support amongst United Nations members. It is the second-largest nation in the region by area after Cuba, and the second-largest by population after Haiti. The Dominican Republic’s major trading partners include the United States, Switzerland, Haiti, India, and China for exports, and the United States, China, Brazil, Mexico, and Spain for imports. The United States is the single largest trading partner for the Dominican Republic, with a significant portion of its exports going there.
During the last three decades, the Dominican economy, formerly dependent on the export of agricultural commodities (mainly sugar, cocoa and coffee), has transitioned to a diversified mix of services, manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and trade. The service sector accounts for almost 60% of GDP; manufacturing, for 22%; tourism, telecommunications and finance are the main components of the service sector; however, none of them accounts for more than 10% of the whole.[133] The Dominican Republic has a stock market, Bolsa de Valores de la República Dominicana (BVRD).[134] and advanced telecommunication system and transportation infrastructure.
Dominican Republic Snapshot
Population: 11.5 million
GDP (PPP): US$334 billion
2025 GDP Growth: 2.4%
GDP (PPP) per capita: US$31,000
Following his meetings, Lavrov said that Russia expects to open its first embassy in the Dominican Republic next year, describing the country as a “promising partner” and that Russia plans to strengthen its commercial and economic ties with the Dominican Republic, saying that “There are mutual opportunities. We also discussed how things are developing in the context of the various discussions on United Nations reform and the trends we see in the context of the creation of the multipolar order.”
Russia may also be looking at providing security assistance due to serious civil unrest in neighbouring Haiti.
Bilateral trade is currently running at less than US$10 million, with Russia exporting mainly fertilizers, and the Dominican Republic exporting rum and cigars. There may be opportunities for the Dominican Republic to boost fruit exports to Russia.
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