KINGSTON, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness has signed a visa waiver, which will facilitate easier travelling for holders of diplomatic and official passports between Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

It is one of several bilateral agreements brokered by Holness during a recent official visit to the country, a release from Office of the Prime outlined.Holness signed a communiqué with the President of the Dominican Republic His Excellency Danilo Medina, which sets out a raft of agreements between both countries in the areas of travel, tourism, commerce, education and agriculture.There is also an agreement to finalise arrangements to sign a multi-destination tourism framework in upcoming months.In addition, a joint business and investment council will be established in the next few months, which will allow both private and public sector to collaborate on how to facilitate an increase in business and trade relations between the two countries.Both Holness and Medina, stressed the importance of increasing levels of trade and bilateral investment including the investments of Jamaican firms in the Dominican financial sector, as well as Dominican investments in different economic sectors of Jamaica.Holness expressed an interest in the social programmes that the Government of the Dominican Republic has been developing, especially with regard to affordable housing through public-private partnerships, such as the Juan Bosch City project, in order to examine the possibility of replicating similar initiatives in Jamaica.Both leaders expressed their willingness to pursue exchanges and training programmes between teachers and students to promote mutual understanding and capacity building in Spanish and English language skills.Holness paid an official visit to the Dominican Republic from May 15-16. This was the first bilateral official visit of a Head of Jamaican Government to the Dominican Republic in more than 34 years.Accompanying the prime minister on the trip were Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade; Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism; Senator Aubyn Hill, Special Ambassador for Investment; and Dr Nigel Clarke, Ambassador for Economic Affairs, among others government officials.