GUYANA on Tuesday registered its “deep concern” over the refusal by The Dominican Republic to grant nationality status to citizens born to illegal Haitian migrants.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press statement said that it has “registered its deep concern over the “indiscriminate ruling which stipulates that children born in The Dominican Republic of undocumented migrants, who have been in The Dominican Republic and registered as citizens of The Dominican Republic as far back as 1929, cannot have Dominican nationality as the parents would be considered as ‘in-transit’.”

“This decision could result in the loss of nationality of an estimated 210,000 citizens of The Dominican Republic of Haitian descent. This is a violation of the human and political rights of these citizens and the impact of the implementation of this ruling could be catastrophic.
“Guyana encourages The Dominican Republic to give serious consideration regarding the application of this ruling in view of the valued contribution made by these persons to the development of The Dominican Republic and more so in safeguarding their human rights,” Guyana’s Foreign Ministry said.
In this light, the Government of Guyana is calling on the “relevant authorities of The Dominican Republic to respect the right to nationality and international human rights principles.”

Moreover, “Guyana stands in solidarity with its sister CARICOM Member State of Haiti in support of its efforts to build international consensus against this inhumane ruling.”

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett on Tuesday was briefed at Takuba Lodge by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Haiti Pierre-Richard Casimir on the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court of The Dominican Republic and its implications for the citizens of The Dominican Republic of Haitian descent.

Minister Casimir was accompanied by Ambassador Guy Alexandre, Consultant and former Ambassador of Haiti to The Dominican Republic, Mr Jean Claude Cenatus, Member of the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mrs Marie Helene Sandra Tybule.