Head of the Roundtable of Commonwealth Countries in the Dominican Republic, Fernando Gonzalez Nicolas says Caricom leaders don’t understand Dominican reality, as reported in the .

“Since 2012, Dominican Republic has imported the significant sum of US$1.6 billion in goods and products from Trinidad and other Caricom countries,” .

He said Dominican companies have made significant investments in Caricom countries.

“Since Dominican Republic is Caricom’s main trading partner in the region, the manner in which its leaders address their Dominican partner is strange for us,” he said and noted that the Dominican Republic exported only around US$160 million to Caricom countries in 2012, a figure which he affirms is just 2.3% of the total Dominican exports.

In a statement, Gonzalez Nicolas urges Caricom leaders to study Dominican history better, its idiosyncrasies and its trade with its Hispaniola neighbor, Haiti.

He said he doesn’t see the point of the Dominican Republic’s ongoing bid to become an active Caricom member. “In our opinion it’s pointless, both economically and politically.”

He did suggest, however, stronger Caricom/Dominican Republic ties, noting that except for Trinidad and Jamaica, none of the countries in the regional bloc has an embassy in Santo Domingo. “Caricom leaders should reconsider the tone of the dialogue with the Dominican Republic, for the benefit of all countries, brothers and neighbors.”