Abinader, with his new style of governance, while the government secures specific solutions, has extended the hotel stay period for around 2,500 Ukrainian tourists stranded in the country, who are currently in hotels, a situation caused by the war their home country, Ukraine, is facing against Russia. Russian tourists are also included in the assistance.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian citizens have had to deal with much confusion, needing to find safe places where Russian attacks cannot reach, finding ways to protect children and the elderly, in short, preserving their lives is their main goal.
As days go by, many Ukrainian civilians join the defense and face the Russian aggression, but there are also many who have left and had to leave the country. Some go to places where family and friends await them, but others walk only towards the borders without a set destination, “shipwrecks don’t choose a port,” only seeking safety. On the other hand, there are those who were outside their country and were unable to return, such as in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican President, Luis Abinader, from the very first day, had exhaustive information on what is happening in Ukraine, with information worked on front-line media close to the head of the international communications department of the presidency. Probably, and with all due respect, very few people, even Ukrainian embassies in other countries, may be as informed as President Abinader, with comments, videos, statements from Ukrainian citizens, Ukrainian authorities, the Ukrainian president and vice-president themselves, the mayor of Kiev, as well as geo-strategic and geopolitical analyses that the president’s international communications advisory service develops daily.
Abinader, with his new style of governance, became aware of the situation and after learning that over two thousand five hundred Ukrainian tourists are stranded in the Dominican Republic with their hotel stays expired, and some must stay because they cannot return to their country due to airspace restrictions, nor can they afford to meet their needs due to economic conditions. While the issue is being resolved, the government will provide humanitarian aid to these tourists.
The tourism authorities and the National Association of Hotels and Tourism (Asonahores) of the Dominican Republic reached an agreement under which the hotels would extend the stay duration for Ukrainian citizens while the government examines their immigration status, the possibility of leaving the country, or if they will remain there longer, that is, until specific solutions can be obtained.
Luis Abinader has been characterized by listening to the Dominican people, but his ability to empathize and his new style of governance have led him beyond that. Since the president received information that the Ukrainian Consul, Ilona Oleksandrivna, requested a meeting with him to discuss the situation of her compatriots stranded in the country, he received her the next day, and the assistance began immediately—a decision not everyone makes in such a short time—which shows that the president was already contemplating all the information on Ukraine, which he had been receiving daily for a month from the aforementioned media.
The Dominican government’s aid has not only been extended to Ukrainian tourists but also to Russians in the country, albeit under different conditions due to the availability of flights to Russia.
