PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, July 5th, a Ministerial Consultation was held with all four Prime Ministers of the Dutch Kingdom for the first time in the past years. The high-level meetings came about on the request of St. Maarten as a result of the meetings recently held in The Hague. The intention is to foster positive relations within the kingdom based on the understanding of each partner’s unique circumstances. Each Prime Minister gave updates concerning economic, political, financial, and health developments within their respective countries and agreed to continue to meet on a quarterly basis.
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs stated, “Though Prime Minister Rutte made it clear that the Ministerial Consultations held between the Caribbean countries with the State Secretary of Interior and Kingdom Relations will continue, this dialogue offers the opportunity for direct contact with colleague Prime Ministers in the Netherlands should the need arise for further escalation. St. Maarten will continue to do everything necessary to build stronger connections with all our Kingdom partners.”
The Prime Ministers will take turns hosting the quarterly consultations, with Aruba, Honorable Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes scheduled to host the second Ministerial Consultation on October 4th, 2021. The subsequent consultations will be hosted by Prime Minister of St. Maarten, and Prime Minister of Curacao, Honorable Gilmar Pisas subsequently. All look forward to continued open communication and cooperation moving forward.
