SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - “St. Maarten, with its strong regional ties, still lags behind in formalizing these ties through regional institutions such as Caricom (Ed. Caribbean Community) and OECS (Ed. Organization of Eastern Caribbean States),” stated President of Parliament MP (Member of Parliament) Sarah Wescot-Williams in a recent statement.
During her participation at the CSA Conference in St. Lucia earlier this year, the MP presented and discussed this topic and others affecting the islands with some of the top regional academia and luminaries.
Following the deliberations in St. Lucia, she has held virtual meetings with the immediate past president of the CSA, Mrs. Okama Brook, who is no stranger to St. Maarten and has been instrumental in development-planning for the Netherlands Antilles. Mr. Jean Yves Lacascade (Martinique's advisor on External Relations and Raymond Laureano-Ortiz of Puerto Rico were also engaged.
During the most recent meeting, Mr. Antonio Carmona Baez of the University of St.Martin (USM) was present, as it is the belief that USM should play a significant role in the approach, which includes seeking European Union funding for a technical assistance project to support St. Maarten's inclusion into regional cooperation projects through insertion into regional entities.
“In collaboration with USM and UWI (CSA's secretariat) and the not-for-profit African-Caribbean Heritage Alliance (SXM), the approach is to undertake a project aimed at an academic article towards policy and practice. This approach will not only support St. Maarten's formal insertion into regional collaboratives but also provide practical applications that would benefit the region as a whole as well as and the collaboration in a European context between the two parts of St. Martin.” the MP further mentioned.
Dr. Rhoda Arrindell of St. Maarten was presented as the incoming President at the CSA Cconference in June and the 2025 CSA conference will be held in St. Maarten, offering a unique opportunity to solidify the discussions regarding St. Maarten’s position in regional bodies.
Wescot-Williams has asked that the Government of St. Maarten, via the Prime Minister, designate a representative from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and BAK, respectively, to participate in further brainstorming on St. Maarten's incorporation into regional bodies.
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