PHILIPSBURG:--- On October 23, 2023, the Parliament of Sint Maarten is scheduled to host a Contactplan Presidium meeting between delegations of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Suriname.
The Contactplan is a parliamentary platform of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the National Assembly of Suriname to discuss topics of mutual interest. The last Contactplan consultations were held in February 2019 in Suriname and has not taken place since. For that reason, the countries deemed it necessary to meet on a Presidium level to chart the way forward as it regards the Contactplan consultations.
The Presidium meeting, which consists of the Chairperson of the Parliaments and the chairpersons of the Committees for (Kingdom Relations) and International Affairs, will meet to discuss, amongst other topics, the following Contactplan consultation.
Following the Contactplan Presidium meeting, delegations from the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten will meet on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, for a Tripartite meeting. The goal of this meeting is for parliamentarians of the three Dutch Caribbean Countries to discuss topics of mutual interest. During the Tripartite of February 2023 in Curaçao, the delegations agreed to increase the frequency of the Tripartite consultations and that the second extra yearly consultation will take place in the month of October and will be organized by Sint Maarten this time around.
Amongst the topics to be discussed are; air traffic between the islands, the use of consensus Kingdom Laws, the Dispute Regulation, health care, tax systems, and the alleviation of poverty.
Though the discussions will take place in a closed setting, the opening addresses by the Chairpersons of the Parliaments of Sint Maarten, Aruba and Curaçao scheduled for Tuesday, October 24, 2023, at 9.00 hrs. will be open to the media. A press conference is also scheduled for Tuesday at 17.00 hrs.
