WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden met separately with the leaders of the Dominican Republic and Chile at the White House on Thursday to discuss key issues like economic relations and migration.
The meeting with Dominican President Luis Abinader aimed to strengthen economic ties, democratic principles and labor rights, as well as address the security situation in neighboring Haiti, the White House said in a statement before the meeting. It was the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders.
Haiti has suffered major security issues in recent years, including the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moïse, in 2021, as well as gang violence and kidnappings, including of two Americans who were later released. In October, the United Nations Security Council voted to send a multinational armed force to the country to combat violence. The force is led by Kenya.
In remarks to reporters before meeting with Abinader, Biden said the friendship between the two countries “runs deep, strengthened by generations of Dominicans becoming American citizens.”
“The partnership between our nations is, I think, stronger than ever before,” Biden said alongside Abinader.
Ahead of Biden’s meeting with Chilean President Gabriel Boric, the White House said the two leaders would be discussing economic cooperation, climate change and migration.
“There’s no reason why this hemisphere shouldn’t be the most prosperous, most democratic hemisphere in the world. We have all the makings of that, and we are standing up for democracy and freedom, human rights, the rights of workers,” Biden said, addressing Boric in front of reporters before the meeting. “I know we share those views, you and I.”
The two leaders also planned to discuss the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders’ Summit, which Biden is hosting at the White House on Friday. Biden announced the partnership last year, with the goal of combating economic inequality and promoting regional economic integration, according to the State Department.
“We need to break the cycle where marginalized communities are hit the hardest by disasters and have the fewest resources to recover from crises and prepare for the next one,” Biden said when announcing the initiative. “Together, we have to invest in making sure our trade is sustainable and responsible and creating supply chains that are more resilient, more secure, and more sustainable.”