The Dominican Republic announced that it will withdraw its embassy from Nicaragua as long as the conditions persist that, according to the Dominican government, violate freedoms and democratic principles in that Central American country.
Foreign Minister Víctor "Ito" Bisonó made the measure public during the Thirty-First Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS), held in Washington.
"I hereby make public, in this Meeting of Consultation of Foreign Ministers, the Dominican decision to withdraw our embassy from the brotherly country of Nicaragua for as long as the conditions we have denounced here persist," Bisonó declared before the representatives of the member states.
The announcement comes after the prior closure of the Nicaraguan mission in Santo Domingo
The Dominican decision does not arise in isolation. On September 9, the Dominican Foreign Ministry had already reported that Nicaragua had decided to close its own embassy in Santo Domingo.
That episode occurred after, on July 22, the government of Luis Abinader recalled its ambassador accredited in Managua for consultations.
The reason: the statements by Nicaraguan authorities about the elimination of future free electoral processes in the country, which Santo Domingo considered contrary to democratic principles and to the obligations assumed within the framework of the inter-American system.
The Dominican government maintains that the Nicaraguan authorities...
AI Brief
Your highlights
Víctor Bisonó, Foreign Minister of the Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic announced that it will withdraw its embassy from Nicaragua as long as the conditions persist that, according to the Dominican government, violate freedoms and democratic principles in that Central American country. Foreign Minister Víctor "Ito" Bisonó made the measure public during the Thirty-First Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of American States (OAS), held in Washington.
"I hereby make public, in this Consultation of Foreign Ministers, the Dominican decision to withdraw our embassy from the brotherly country of Nicaragua for as long as the conditions we have denounced here persist," Bisonó declared before the representatives of the member states.
The Dominican decision does not arise in isolation. On September 9, the Dominican Foreign Ministry had already reported that Nicaragua had decided to close its own embassy in Santo Domingo. That episode occurred after, on July 22, the government of Luis Abinader recalled its ambassador accredited in Managua for consultations. The reason: statements by Nicaraguan authorities about the cancellation of future free electoral processes in the country, considered by Santo Domingo to be contrary to democratic principles and to the obligations assumed within the framework of the inter-American system.
The Dominican government maintains that the Nicaraguan authorities adopted measures that affect the exercise of civil liberties and democratic principles, including statements about the elimination of free elections. Santo Domingo considers that the regional response must translate into concrete actions and not just pronouncements.
The Dominican Republic closes its Embassy in Nicaragua.
In his remarks, the head of Dominican diplomacy recalled that his country suffered thirty-one years under the tyranny of Rafael Trujillo. According to his explanation, that experience explains Santo Domingo's immediate reaction when another country in the region sees its institutions threatened.
Bisonó also evoked a historical precedent: the Sixth Meeting of Consultation of Foreign Ministers of the OAS, held in San José, Costa Rica, in August 1960. On that occasion, the region's foreign ministers approved measures that decisively weakened the Trujillo regime and contributed to its later overthrow. The foreign minister argued that the current meeting should produce similar results.
"Defending democracy largely loses its meaning when it is limited to pronouncements that, however solemn, do not affect the change in the circumstances that motivate that defense," he stated before the plenary.
Bisonó framed the decision within the foreign policy guidelines set by President Luis Abinader, who places the promotion of democracy and human rights among the central pillars of his administration. The foreign minister recalled that, during his second inauguration, on August 16, 2024, Abinader expressed: "We will always be on the side of democracy, wherever, whenever, and against whomever." According to Bisonó, that commitment remains unchanged and explains the Dominican presence at the forum.
The Dominican Republic condemned Daniel Ortega's statements about the end of elections in Nicaragua and reaffirmed its defense of free voting in the Americas. (Courtesy: Luis Abinader)
Bisonó added that the Dominican Republic is willing to support "in a proactive and constructive manner" all efforts that allow the OAS to fulfill the mandate its members have given it.
Bisonó insisted that the Inter-American Democratic Charter, adopted in 2001, is not an ornamental piece. It is, according to the foreign minister, the expression of a political will assumed by the American states to respond when institutions are in danger.
The foreign minister also mentioned the figure of Rubén Darío as an example of the Nicaraguan contribution to Spanish American culture, before warning that the current situation in the country "has become unsustainable" and requires concrete actions.
The measure adds to the efforts of the OAS, which during the Washington meeting sought a joint call for Nicaragua to restore civil liberties in the country.
Daniel Ortega and a Dominican institutional figure appear on islands separated by a crack in the sea, with diplomatic letters floating in the water, signaling a bilateral crisis. (Illustrative image Infobae)
The Dominican position is part of a broader deterioration in relations between Nicaragua and much of the hemisphere. Daniel Ortega's government has faced growing criticism for restrictions on the opposition and for signs that there will be no competitive electoral processes in the short term. The diplomatic clash between Santo Domingo and Managua, which included the reciprocal closure of diplomatic missions, reflects that tension.
Bisonó insisted that the Dominican measure does not seek to "give lessons" or "intervene in the affairs of others," but rather to exercise what he called a shared responsibility in the defense of freedoms in the region.