Congratulations to the Assistant Secretary General

Good morning. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

On behalf of the Government of the Dominican Republic, of our Delegation and on my own behalf, we wish to offer our congratulations on your taking up today a new term as Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States.

Your outstanding work for the institutional strengthening of the OAS, first as Ambassador of your beloved country and then as Assistant Secretary General, led the Dominican Republic to vote with full confidence for your reelection.

The Dominican Republic is pleased at the election of Ambassador Nestor Mendez, a worthy representative of Central America and the Caribbean, committed to the values and purposes of an Organization that is living through times in which it should reconnect with its beginnings, with its identity.

We take this opportunity to express our thanks for the efforts the Assistant Secretary General has made since the start of his tenure to make known the work of the Organization and its projects in each of our countries. The Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Nestor Mendez, has been promoting dialogue as a fundamental element in the search for consensus, and he is an important protagonist in resolving the conflicts that frequently arise in the region, decisively playing the role for which he was elected.

Secretary Mendez, you may count on my firm personal cooperation and that of my Delegation in everything that may be useful in support of your work, with the aim of strengthening the Organization so that it can respond to the challenges of the region.

Thank you very much, and congratulations.