~Discussions on cooperation held between the Dutch and French sides~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs, Silveria Jacobs attended a bilateral meeting with the delegation of officials on French Saint Martin, as part of monthly discussions between both sides of the island. Present during the meeting was Minister for Overseas Territories Jean Francois Carenco who is currently on the island for an official visit.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of good relations with French counterparts, and especially Underline progress in border negotiations and the MoU in Education. Also discussed was the significance of combatting trans-border crime, including human trafficking, and the importance to finalize the agreement on hot pursuit.
Prime Minister Jacobs expressed her satisfaction with how various cooperative efforts, such as education, health, law enforcement, and justice, are going fruitfully. There is a strong collaboration between our law enforcement on land. However, there needs to be more concrete progress in areas like maritime hot pursuit.
There were also talks of arranging a quadripartite (Q4) meeting in The Netherlands in 2023 between French and Dutch St. Martin, France, and The Netherlands. This is also an agenda point for upcoming discussions during next week’s visit with Minister Hoekstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs. A Q4 would make tangible progress in other areas like concluding the Arrangement for Education; enhancing police cooperation and a joint border office, and exploring possibilities to enhance cooperation in the field of health/hospital cooperation and disaster management.
