“Dominica proclaims 2018 as a year of Dominican Product Promotion”
In retrospect of last 6 & half years when Dominican Amb.
Grecia Fiordalicia Pichardo Polanco served as her country’s top envoy here in Korea, she & her husband Victor Decamps
have been good participants for regional trip programs as
well as Korea Tourism Fair hosted by The NDNnews
(www.ndnnews.co.kr) & Korea Culture Friendship Association
as a media partner during several years.
NDNnews remember that their couple were greatly satisfied
with the Gwangyang Apricot Festival invitation programs
several years ago in addition to Amb. Polanco’s attendance at the Korea International Tourism Fair held at
the Goyang Ilsan Kintex every Autumn as Dean of participating envoys.
Separately Dominican Amb. couple, former Minister Counsellor
Ernesto Torres-Pereyra who served as Deputy Head Mission of the Dominican
Embassy in Seoul, also attended many NDNnews’ regional trip
programs including Nakaneupsung trip in Suncheon by Korean
Air, according to our remembrance,.
Wrapping up her duty as Dominican top envoy here in Korea
which stretches up to 6 & half years, Dominican Amb. Grecia
Fiordalicia Pichardo Polanco threw a her farewell luncheon
reception on Feb. 27th noon in a downtown hotel Seoul
while mostly envoys from Central & South American countries
were on hand including Chile Amb. Fernando Danus, Costa
Rica Amb. Rodolfo Solano Quiros, El Salvador Amb. Milton
Alcides Magana Herrera, Ecuador Amb. Oscar Gustavo Herrera Gilbert, and so on.
In a diplomatic reception to mark the 174th Dominican
Independence as well, Polanco said through her farewell
speech that the Government of the Dominican Republic
proclaimed 2018 as a year to promote Dominican exports,
adding in that regard, her government attaches special
importance to cooperation increase with the Republic of Korea
as part of diversifying Dominican’s export products.
During 2017, we received ten (10) official delegations to the
Republic of Korea, including a visit from Vice Minister for
Foreign Affairs Hugo Francisco Rivera, in the frame work of
the 8th FEALAC FMM held in August in Busan, said Polanco.
At the end of last year, she added we assumed the Pro-Tempore
Presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA),
through which we will give continuity to SICA’s regional
agenda and advance its five (5) pillars: strengthening of
institutions, democratic security, social and economic
integration, climate change and integral risk management,
in keeping with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea,
Lee Nak-Yeon, is scheduled to visit the Dominican Republic
mid-March of this year, accompanied by a large delegation
of Korean businesspersons, with the goal of giving continuity
to cooperation and investment projects in the areas of
sustainable energy, construction and manufacturing, according
to her speech.
Tourism also is an important sector for increasing Dominican’s income, according to Polanco who said that tourists over 6
million from around the world visited Dominican Republic in
2017, an increase of 3.8% compared with previous year. In
addition, The Dominican Republic serves as an important
commercial point between the North, Central and South
American markets. Its geographical advantages coupled with
our modern and efficient and infrastructure, have allowed us
to become the main receiver of foreign direct investment in
the Caribbean region, Dominican Amb. says.
Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with the United States of America
and Central American countries (DR-CAFTA), and with preferential trade agreements with the European
Union and CARICOM, allow direct access to more than 891.5
million consumers worldwide, according to the Embassy of the Dominican Republic.
Additionally, the Dominican Republic enjoys social and political
stability. In 2017, its economy GDP grew 4.9%; the second
highest rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, which in
comparison grew about 1%. The key for our sustained economic
growth lies in the prudent economic policy implemented by
our current administration, under the leadership of President
Danilo Medina, a fact that has been widely acknowledged
and commended by international monetary authorities,
Dominican Embassy said.
Next destination for Amb. Polanco diplomatically is Morocco
which waits great challenges for her & her husband Victor Decamps.
Wrapping up her remarks, Amb. Polanco concluded, "
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate
the Korean authorities for the successful hosting of the 2018
Pyeonchang Winter Olympics, which recently came to a close,
as well as to the Korean Government and people for the
approach and gestures aimed at achieving peace on the
Korean Peninsula.