DR1: Leonel promotes technology

President Leonel Fernandez wants the Dominican Republic to emulate the state of Florida in becoming a "technological corridor". He spoke yesterday at the IT Technological Forum of Florida, an activity sponsored by Governor Jeb Bush. Fernandez said that the DR is in a process of transformation in which technology will be the main support for development. He highlighted the advances that are currently being made in the Dominican Republic to become a more competitive nation in anticipation of DR-CAFTA. Among the initiatives is the Las Americas Technological Park, where important projects are already underway in the fields of telemedicine and biotechnology.
As reported in El Caribe, President Fernandez said in Miami that the DR has the infrastructure and legal framework necessary to assume the commitments under the DR-CAFTA. Florida is a major trading partner, with volume of transactions at US$4.3 ! billion in 2004, which is greater than that with the UK or Japan.