Medellin’s Mayor and the President of the Dominican Republic signed a partnership agreement

Mayor of Medellin, Alonso Salazar Jaramillo, on Friday signed a cooperation agreement with the Government of the Dominican Republic, with which the city will share experiences with this country in terms of transparency in municipal management, social and environmental planning. Dominican Republic will share its knowledge in tourism with Medellin. The agreement was signed in the Salón de los Cipreses, at El Castillo Museum.

• On Friday, Mayor of Medellin shared with the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández Reyna, during his official agenda in the city. Both were in a talk led by the Dominican President, attended by students and teachers of Eafit University.
• The Dominican President visited today with the Mayor Salazar Jaramillo the new gardens of El Castillo Museum and he was pleasantly surprised with the city and its transformation process. This afternoon, the Dominican president finished his visit to Medellin.

The Mayor of Medellin, Alonso Salazar Jaramillo, today expressed his gratitude to the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández Reyna for his visit to the city and for sharing his knowledge with different dialog settings during the official agenda of the Dominican president, which concluded Friday in the afternoon.

Salazar Jaramillo Mayor handed the Keys to the City to Dominican president.

Salazar Jaramillo ratified before the President of the Dominican Republic his enthusiasm of the city after this visit and the willingness to make trade between businessmen from that country and our city.

”We opened Medellin and Antioquia’s door today to reconfirm a historical contact with the Caribbean and the Dominican Republic, aware that many things can be learned from the Dominican brothers as well as the best practices can be incorporated to the development of our city," said Mayor Salazar Jaramillo.

Dominican President: Guest of Honor of Medellin

By Decree 1333 of 2010, the Mayor of Medellin named President Fernández Reyna Guest of Honor and gave him the Keys to the City.

The decree underlines the commitment of the Dominican president to the search for peace and reconciliation.

This way the Mayor of Medellin recognized the leadership of Fernández Reyna, his humanistic sense and commitment to promote solidarity and coexistence in Latin American societies.
Leonel Fernández Reyna has ruled his country on three occasions and has been characterized to be present in foreign policy, economic growth and reorientation of public investment towards social spending with emphasis on the education, technology, public health, fighting hunger, entrepreneurship, and employment generation.

With the delivery of the Honor Keys, Medellin shows the Dominican president we are willing to keep the doors open for him and his government.

As a gesture of brotherhood with the country of Fernández Reyna, Mayor Jaramillo Salazar gave the president a craft made locally, and several articles written by himself. From these, stands out the one about the preparation of the 50th IDB Assembly held in the city and the transformation of Medellin.

During the signing of the agreement and delivery of the Keys to the City, the Main Committee had a classical silleta made by peasants from Santa Elena and representing the official seal of the Dominican Republic as a background. Two of the leader silleteros accompanied the officials at the ceremony.

The President of the Dominican Republic gave the Mayor, for his part, a beautiful text on the history of the city of Santo Domingo and its over 500 year evolution.

"I hope you enjoy it and it serves to represent our bonds of partnership with Medellin," said Fernández to Salazar Jaramillo.

Two partners sign agreement

The Mayor of Medellin, Alonso Salazar Jaramillo, and the Minister of Economy, Planning and Development of the Dominican Republic, Juan Temístocles Montás, signed this Friday, August 6th, an agreement that will close the partnership relation between the Caribbean country and the city.
The firm is a new step in the process of internationalization of Medellin and an opportunity to share our experience with the Dominican Republic in urban and social transformation.

The agreement will cover transparent municipal management, urban and social environment, issues on which Medellin will share its experience with the Government of the Dominican Republic.
For its part, the Dominican Republic will share its knowledge with Medellin in terms of tourism.
The agreement signed on Friday means that both parties are to conduct fact-finding missions, and the occurrence of exchange of information, documentation and materials between the parties in the agreed areas. In addition, it leads to the occurrence of exchange of technicians, specialists and professionals and training of human resources.

To have an adequate mechanism for monitoring and coordinating the activities conducted under this agreement and to ensure the best conditions for their implementation, a working group comprising representatives of both parties will be established.

This Agreement enters into force from the date of signature and will run for three years.

Dominican President met the transformation of the city

This Friday, the President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández Reyna was at Eafit University, where he witnessed the signing of a technical cooperation agreement between that higher education institution and the Dominican Government.

Then, he gave a lecture to teachers and students in the Fundadores auditorium of Eafit, where he was accompanied by Mayor Salazar Jaramillo.

The Dominican president moved then to El Castillo Museum, where he signed the cooperation agreement with the city Mayor’s Office and received the Keys to the City.

Later, next to the Mayor Salazar Jaramillo, he toured the Museum and its new gardens.
Thus, the official agenda of the Dominican president in Medellin concluded.

Sharing, exchanging and cooperating

As part of the official visit to Medellin, the Dominican President exchanged his views related to business opportunities, expectations of new markets and economic development with entrepreneurs of Antioquia, in a talk that was held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Citará Hall; the president was accompanied by the Mayor Salazar Jaramillo.

Fernández Reyna took the opportunity to present the Mayor of Medellin and entrepreneurs, the business scenario of his country, the growth the GDP has had in the last five years in the nation since their exports are to Europe, and the their increasing economy. He also expressed the idea of designing with the country a National Development Strategy.

"Working together we can enhance development in both countries. We want the Dominican Republic to be a basis for you to reach other markets," said Fernández Reyna.

Mayor of Medellin, Alonso Salazar Jaramillo, told him that Medellin is transforming more and more, and in that process it is necessary to have the support of well structured countries. "We are willing to share, exchange and cooperate to further strengthen the links with the Dominican Republic and thereby increase economic development in both countries," Salazar Jaramillo concluded.