BVI, Dominican Republic to sign bilateral agreement in June, back deeper regional integration
The British Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic are set to sign a bilateral agreement in June aimed at strengthening cooperation across key sectors, including trade, transportation, health and culture.
The planned agreement was confirmed following talks in Santiago between BVI Special Envoy Benito Wheatley and Dominican Republic Vice Minister for Economic Affairs and International Cooperation Hugo Rivera.
“We are in the final stages of planning for the signing of the bilateral agreement in June by our political leaders that will boost our trade and deepen our cooperation in other critical sectors,” Wheatley said, noting ongoing engagement with Rivera to advance ties between the two territories.
Beyond the bilateral pact, both officials discussed a Dominican Republic-led initiative aimed at advancing economic integration across the Greater Caribbean. The effort seeks to strengthen trade flows and improve the region’s resilience to external economic shocks by accelerating cooperation between Latin America and the Caribbean.
Wheatley signaled the BVI’s support for the initiative, indicating the territory would work alongside the Dominican Republic through regional bodies such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Association of Caribbean States to promote closer integration.
While in Chile, Wheatley also participated in a panel discussion on regional integration alongside Carla Barnett, secretary-general of the Caribbean Community, and José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, executive secretary of ECLAC.
The panel, titled “Advancing Regional Integration in a Fragmented Global Economy: From Commitments to Implementation,” was held at ECLAC headquarters during the 9th Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development.
“Regional integration has the ability to help unleash the immense potential of Latin America and the Caribbean and to make our region more resilient in the face of global instability, economic uncertainty and climate insecurity,” Wheatley said.
