Blinken visits Dominican Republic as talks with president focus on economy and Haiti’s crisis

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader have met behind closed doors to discuss human rights, economic prosperity and regional security. Blinken met with Abinader on Friday after landing in neighboring Haiti the previous day to support a U.N.-backed mission led by Kenya to fight rampaging gangs there. Abinader spoke about his concerns regarding the situation in neighboring Haiti, which shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. He said his concerns were the apparent lack of resources for the mission and how Haiti’s crisis has led to a rise in Haitian migration.