President Daniel Gibbs with Senate Speaker Gérard Larcher (left) in Paris earlier in the week.
MARIGOT--President Daniel Gibbs recently returned from Paris where he had several meetings at the ministries in the context of defending St. Martin’s interests.
Following his meeting with Minister Bruno Lemaire on Thursday, March 25, at the Ministry of Finance, Gibbs met with President of the Assembly of the Departments of France Dominique Bussereau and his Director-General, Préfet Monzani, on the follow-up of the records of the Collectivité of St. Martin.
Gibbs then went to the Elysée Palace where he was received by the Overseas Adviser of the President of the Republic, Francois de Kerever. This was an opportunity to discuss urgent matters affecting St. Martin – the health situation, the economic crisis affecting the territory and the situation of St. Martiners.
The trip ended on Friday, March 26, with a meeting with Senate Speaker Gérard Larcher, where Gibbs reinforced the need to accelerate the vaccination programme and remove the compelling reasons for travel requirement that puts the territory’s tourism in jeopardy. Social and economic issues were also discussed.
Larcher, who has already had the opportunity to make an official trip to St. Martin, was very attentive to St. Martin's concerns and has shown his support for President Gibbs, according to the Collectivité’s communication department.
