Santo Domingo.-President Luis Abinader received at the National Palace a group of 30 students of Dominican origin who stand out abroad for achieving exceptional academic achievements.

The meeting is part of the ODEX initiative (Dominican Pride Abroad), which celebrates its fourth edition in 2026, and through which it also seeks to strengthen the bond of these young people with the Dominican Republic, through a cultural tour that includes a visit to museums and places of interest in the Colonial City, as well as the National Congress and other government institutions.

"We also want them to feel Dominican. Here there will always be a country that will be waiting for them with its doors open," the head of state told them firsthand.

Likewise, the executive director of the Institute of Dominicans Abroad (Index), the organization that develops the program, was present.

For an hour, the president answered questions about the progress and development that the country has shown during his years in government, in areas such as education, poverty, health and transportation, among others. Also, about his beginnings in politics and his future objectives to achieve a higher level of well-being in the population.

These adolescents and young people, accompanied by their parents and guardians, come from various states in the United States, as well as Puerto Rico, Spain, Italy, England, Argentina, Chile and Panama.

ODEX 2026 runs from July 20 to July 25.