Abinader appoints new consuls in Venezuela, Chile, United States and North Carolina with decrees that reorganize part of the Dominican foreign service and adjust representation in strategic locations for the diaspora.
The President Luis Abinader issued decrees 350-26 and 351-26, with which he made several changes in the consular area. The decision impacts high-relevance seats for Dominicans abroad, where access to procedures, assistance and documentation depends directly on the presence of consular services.
Through decree 351-26, Héctor Pastor Vásquez Frías was appointed consul general of the Dominican Republic in Caracas, Venezuela. In parallel, decree 350-26 provides for the designation of Robert Ramón Arias Fernández as consul general in Santiago de Chile, with jurisdiction over the entire Chilean territory.
These appointments come at a time when the consular network remains key to attending to Dominicans residing outside the country, especially in migratory, notarial and civil documentation matters. Abinader appoints new consuls in destinations where the demand for services usually remains stable due to the weight of the Dominican community.
Abinader appoints new consuls in Providence and Raleigh
The same decree 350-26 also appoints Juan Mercedes Mateo Guerrero as consul general in Providence, Rhode Island, one of the most valuable consular points to attend to the diaspora in the northeastern United States.
Additionally, the Executive Power repealed article 2 of Decree 334-25, which had placed María Luisa Ubiera Zorrilla as ambassador in the internal service of MIREX, to then designate her as consul general in Raleigh, North Carolina. With that movement, Abinader appoints new consuls in an area where the Dominican presence has grown in recent years.
What the consular adjustment implies
In practice, these changes can accelerate the reorganization of priorities within the foreign service, especially in destinations where the Dominican community needs frequent attention. When Abinader appoints new consuls, he also sends an administrative signal about where the State considers it more urgent to reinforce presence and management.
- Caracas: consular representation in a sensitive diplomatic context.
- Santiago de Chile: total coverage of the Chilean territory.
- Providence: attention to a consolidated Dominican community.
- Raleigh: response to the expansion of Dominicans in North Carolina.
For now, the official document does not detail acts of swearing-in or dates of taking office, but the appointments remain established in the mentioned decrees. Abinader appoints new consuls to move pieces in four locations with diplomatic and consular weight, and the real impact will depend on the speed with which each official assumes functions.
Abinader appoints new consuls in an administrative turn that reinforces the Dominican external network in Venezuela, Chile, Providence and Raleigh.
