Russia's foreign minister visits the Dominican Republic to strengthen economic and commercial ties

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Russia expects to open its first embassy in the Dominican Republic as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defined the Caribbean country as a ''promising partner'' on Wednesday during an official trip.

Lavrov, who met behind closed doors with Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, said Russia plans to strengthen its commercial and economic ties with the Dominican Republic, saying 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,'' Lavrov said.

He did not provide further details.

Meanwhile, Álvarez said a key conversation topic was ''the profound political, security and humanitarian crisis affecting Haiti and how this impacts the Dominican Republic.''

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the island of Hispaniola.

Authorities in the Dominican Republic have recently cracked down on illegal migration, deporting more than 180,000 people since October as gang violence surges in Haiti.

A U.N.-backed mission led by Kenyan police to help quell gang violence in Haiti is struggling given a shortage of funds and personnel.

The U.S. and others once pushed for a U.N. peacekeeping in Haiti as a solution, but the proposal was dropped following opposition from Russia and China.

Álvarez said he told Lavrov that the Dominican Republic is advocating ''for more effective, coordinated and urgent action'' by the multinational force.

''We hope the United Nations will play a central and more active role in logistics and financing to ensure its effectiveness,'' he said.

Lavrov, who arrived Tuesday in the Dominican Republic, was expected to also meet with President Luis Abinader.

He did not say when the Russian embassy would open in Santo Domingo, the Dominican capital.