Dominicans promoted within the Commonwealth in Australia

Fernando González Nicolás, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Kamalesh Sharma.

Perth, Australia.- Around 1,400 business leaders, 16 heads of State and 120 exhibitors participated in the Commonwealth Business Forum which was organized jointly with the Commonwealth Heads of State meeting of the 54 countries.

Commonwealth Head Queen Elizabeth II led the event with representatives from the countries scattered in six continents, 2 in America, 12 in the Caribbean, 3 in Europe, 19 in Africa, 8 in Asia and 10 in the Pacific.

The Round Table of the Commonwealth in Dominican R epublic was represented by its president Fernando González Nicolas who said that his country has been historically a front door for those who have conquered the Americas and stressed his country’s leadership in tourism and mining and with great potential to attract foreign investment.

The forum showcased the Commonwealth’s potential for Dominican exports, tourism and increasingly more attractive for foreign investments especially in sectors, petroleum and natural gas.

The Commonwealth countries are home to 20,000 companies trading in the stock markets and control 25 percent of the global trade.

Emerging countries like India, Nigeria, South Africa, and Malaysia are becoming new economic centers. For example five Commonwealth countries -Singapore, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia- figure among the world’s top 10 countries with the best climate for business.

González Nicolas said even Dominican Republic isn’t an active Commonwealth member, it can take advantage of those relations to diversify international trade and increase exports.

Moreover, Gonzalez announced a visit by investment promotion agencies of various Commonwealth countries to meet in Santo Domingo to exchange experiences of how small countries can effectively attract investments and promote exports.