The Francisco Alberto Caamaño Foundation on Wednesday called on the Dominican government to publicly release the reasons that motivated the recent expulsion of nine officials from the Cuban Embassy in Santo Domingo, along with their relatives. In a formal statement, the organization also demanded that authorities clarify before the Dominican people the political and diplomatic circumstances that gave rise to that decision.

The foundation further urged the preservation and continuity of diplomatic, historical, and cooperation ties between the governments and peoples of the Dominican Republic and Cuba, insisting that such relations should not be undermined “as a consequence of pressures, conditions, or demands from third-party States.” The group asserted that no foreign power has the right to determine the Dominican Republic’s foreign policy or to condition the sovereign relationships that the country chooses to maintain with other nations.

The Francisco Alberto Caamaño Foundation deemed it necessary for authorities to offer full explanations regarding the measure, while simultaneously defending the maintenance of historical bonds between Dominicans and Cubans. The organization stressed that the Dominican Republic won its sovereignty through the sacrifice of generations that refused to accept foreign domination. It reaffirmed that “national sovereignty is not negotiable, independence is not delegated, and the dignity of a people is not subjected to the will of any foreign power.”