Dominica suspends diplomatic agreement signed with Syria

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit on Friday cleared the air surrounding controversy related to the establishment of diplomatic ties between Dominica and The Syrian Arab Republic.

He added that neither Minister nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Roseau gave instruction or did they demonstrated any interest in or desire to pursue the establishment of relations with Syria, and it was a clear lapse of judgement on the part of the Ambassador Loreen Ruth Bannis-Roberts.

"I have instructed that the appropriate communication be transmitted from Roseau to Syria, putting out clearly the policy and position of this government and that provisions of the document as signed be considered suspended indefinitely," added the Prime Minister.

Furthermore, he said that the resignation of Ambassador Bannis-Roberts had been accepted, which takes effect from May 31st, but the outgoing ambassador shall proceed on leave from all duties, effective from Friday, March 18th. PM said the name of the new ambassador would be announced in due course.

PM said the matter was brought to him on Monday. Following the incident, he summoned the Dominican Ambassador to United Nations for an urgent in-person meeting in his office on Thursday, March 17th 2022. He said it was the earliest practical time possible as the first available direct flight from the USA to Dominica could have been on Wednesday afternoon.

"The meeting was convened, and I invited not only the relevant public officers but also four senior government ministers, senior legal counsel to the government to fully participate in the meeting,".

PM said the two-hour-long meetings examined the circumstances that would have led to the signing of a document constituting an agreement for the establishment of a diplomatic relationship with Syria.

"I should point out here that no existing laws were broken; there was nothing unlawful about the act of the ambassador; as said out in the Minister's note to me on Monday, March 14th, the process of establishing diplomatic relations can either be initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Business and Diaspora Relations on the instructions of cabinet or by foreign government writing officially to express interest in establishing relations with the government of Dominica." said the Prime Minister.

He added that the Government of Syria, through its embassy in Cuba, wrote the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirming interest in establishing diplomatic relations with Dominica,but it was not supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Minister of Foreign Affairs.