French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte make a toast at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands April 12, 2023. (REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw)
THE HAGUE--The governments of France, the Netherlands, St. Maarten and St. Martin will meet in The Hague on June 15 this year to discuss common issues of cross-border cooperation on the island.
The meeting was announced in the joint declaration that the Netherlands and France signed in The Hague on Wednesday during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to the Netherlands. The two countries signed a pact for innovation and sustainable growth.
The joint declaration also dedicates a paragraph to the Caribbean, titled ‘Cooperation in the Caribbean region.’ Besides the top-level meeting in The Hague on June 15, the paragraph mentioned the intention to sign a border treaty shortly.
“The French Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands share a border on the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin. 375 years since the Treaty of Concordia, our countries aim to sign shortly a new treaty for the exact location of the border on the island,” it was stated in the joint declaration.
The two countries furthermore committed to strengthening bilateral and regional collaboration to address pressing security challenges in the Caribbean region. It was agreed that the ratification of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on Caribbean cooperation will be completed in 2023.
