Jacobs (right) and Carenco.
PHILIPSBURG--The need for more concrete progress on hot pursuit and cooperation between Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin were amongst the issues discussed when Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Silveria Jacobs attended a bilateral meeting with a delegation of officials on French St. Martin, as part of monthly discussions between both sides of the island.
Present during the meeting was Minister for Overseas Territories Jean François Carenco, who was on the island for an official visit.
During the meeting, the prime minister emphasised the importance of good relations with French counterparts, and especially progress in border negotiations and the memorandum of understanding (MOU) in education. Also discussed was the significance of combatting trans-border crime, including human trafficking and the importance of finalising the agreement on hot pursuit.
Jacobs expressed her satisfaction with how various cooperative efforts, such as in 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,” Jacobs said in a press statement.
There were also talks of arranging a quadripartite (Q4) meeting in the Netherlands in 2023 between French St. Martin, Dutch St. Maarten, France and the Netherlands. This is also an agenda point for discussion during the upcoming visit with Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoekstra.
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 fields of health/hospital cooperation and disaster management.
