Mercelina asks Netherlands to deepen foreign-affairs cooperation

Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina met Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Berendsen in The Hague during an official working visit to the Netherlands. Mercelina sought stronger cooperation between Sint Maarten’s Department of Foreign Relations DBB and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mercelina said the cooperation should help the department represent Sint Maarten’s interests and pursue international opportunities. He asked for greater support, closer coordination and the sharing of expertise, and said Sint Maarten’s priorities should be reflected in the Kingdom’s international engagement.

The discussions also covered geopolitical developments in the Western Hemisphere and their implications for Sint Maarten and the Kingdom. Mercelina’s delegation included Minister Plenipotentiary Gracita Arrindell, Secretary-General Abel Knottnerus and Chief of Staff Stuart Johnson.

Mercelina also met Kim Putters, president of the Netherlands’ Social and Economic Council, known as SER. He had courtesy encounters with Dutch Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Asylum and Migration Bart van den Brink, and Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel.

The working visit is to include further engagements with Dutch ministries and High Councils of State.