Dominican Republic advances trade pacts with Canada, Taiwan

Dominican Republic advances its negotiations with Canada and Taiwan to reach a Free Trade Agreement, revealed Industry and Commerce Ministry Foreign Trade director Yahaira Sosa on Wednesday.

"We are working in the creation of the Competitiveness Commission” to support the country’s productive sectors to take advantage of treaties such as DR-CAFTA with the US and Central America and the EPA with the European Union, as well as the other pacts in effect with several regional countries and blocs, the official said.

Interviewed by Miguel Guerrero on Digital 15, Sosa said the new TLCs in negotiations are geared toward spurring the international interchange in trade, investments and services.

She said the conflict surging with Costa Rica and El Salvador within the DR-CAFTA would be solved and stems from some measures that have been applied within that treaty, in which the United States also participates. "They are situations proper to trade interchange and different conjunctures at determined moments, but it’s not such a serious situation that it cannot be solved and we are working in that."

She added that the conflict with Costa Rica centers on a problem with electrical conductors, while El Salvador’s is around some measures it has applied which don’t adhere to World Trade Organization rules.

 

Parrot detained as a key witness in Dominican Republic murder

A parrot and its alleged revelations on a murder has become the talk of the city, and have even led to the bird’s arrest and detention in the Central Police Command.

The bird has reportedly cited the names of several people who may be involved in the death of Carmen Altagracia Castillo, 60, a Dominican-Italian whose decomposed body was found Thursday in her residence of the sector Los Reyes.

Prior to the parrot’s capture the victim’s relatives affirmed that they had to protect it because it was in the residence when the crime occurred.

The Police said several people are being questioned but deny that the parrot is revealing names of possible perpetrators.

 

According to the president of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Sosua and Cabarete

The president of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of Sosua and Cabarete (Asohoresoca), Diego Giribaldi, has ensured that tourism is anchored on the north coast, but found it necessary to integrate different activity sectors to continue this consolidation.

Mr. Giribaldi said that although many hotels in the community are concerned about the strong competition in the tourism market around the country, we should not fear anything, because we have the natural conditions necessary to compete with other domestic destinations.

The Asohoresoca President made these comments during a pre-opening meeting of the executives of the international firm Nickki Beach, which opened an amusement park in Cabarete.

Mr. Giribaldi stated that it is a success for the district that the company Nickki Beach has established a business here, because it will help promote this community internationally.It is vital that international firms such as Nickki Beach have decided to invest in Cabarete, because it shows that foreign investment is growing every day on the northern coast of the country.