By Beyza Binnur Donmez
ANKARA (AA) - Dominican Republic Monday started to require visa for Venezuelans, becoming the latest country to try to block migration flow.
The Caribbean country followed Ecuador, Chile and Peru with this move, which all imposed travel restrictions on Venezuelans in 2019.
The requirement was announced last week by the Foreign Ministry of the Dominican Republic.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex) informs that, as of December 16, 2019, nationals of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela who wish to enter the Dominican Republic will be required to have a visa issued through the corresponding consular missions," the ministry said in a statement.
The Dominican Republic is home to about 30,000 Venezuelans, a fraction of its 11 million population, and aims to narrow down their entrance to the country to touristic purposes with this decision.
Venezuela's economy has been in precipitous decline following a global downturn in the price of crude oil, the country's main export, while ongoing political unrest also affects the country's financial stability.
Nearly 4.5 million people have left Venezuela because of "instability and uncertainty" amid a crisis focused on the presidency and economy, triggering the largest displacement in Latin America’s recent history, according to the UN's refugee agency.
While Colombia hosts the greatest number of refugees with a total of 1.4 million, other hosting nations include Peru (860,000), Chile (371,000), Ecuador (330,000) and Brazil (212,000).