SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Honorable Mrs. Silveria Jacobs hosted her monthly bilateral meeting on Wednesday May 24, 2023. Prime Minister Jacobs, supported by her staff from the Directorate of Foreign Relations, hosted a meeting with representatives from the Collectivité of Saint-Martin and the Republic of France.
President of the Collectivité of Saint-Martin, Mr. Louis Mussington, Préfet of Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, Mr. Vincent Berton, and the French Ambassador for Regional Cooperation, H.E. Roland Dubertrand were invited to review and coordinate topics, including cooperation on education and internal security, that will be discussed during the Quadripartite meeting which will be held between Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin, the Netherlands and France on June 15, 2023, in the Hague, the Netherlands.
On the agenda of the meeting was the signing of the border delimitation treaty between both sides of the island and the upcoming Quadripartite meeting between Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin, France, and the Netherlands scheduled for June 15th in The Hague. This is the first time since 2019 that the Quadripartite meeting between the four parties will be held.
These regular dialogues between Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin and France are essential to achieve the communal goals that are desired for the people on both sides of St. Martin. The opportunity to resume the formal Quadripartite discussions has been made possible as all parties concerned have also recently finalized technical negotiations on the demarcation of the border. This agreement includes the establishment of a joint cross-border committee that will ensure the necessary follow-up is given for the agreement's execution.
As stated in the press conference, chaired by Prime Minister Jacobs on May 9, 2023, this agreement will be signed on Friday, May 26, on St. Martin. The Minister of the Interior of France, Mr. Darmanin and the Minister of Overseas of France, Mr. Carenco, will be present in St. Martin to represent the Republic of France together with President Mussington and Préfet Berton. Prime Minister Jacobs will be representing Sint Maarten and the Kingdom of the Netherlands during this historical moment which will be held at the border monument between Belvedere and Belle Plaine.
Due to the signing the road will be closed to traffic from 5:00pm-7:00pm. Traffic will be diverted as follows: Belvedere (McDonalds) Roundabout-Bishop Hill-Oyster Pond-Coralita-French Quarter.
Resolving the border dispute has reopened discussions between both sides and the respective states on cooperation and the second agenda point focused on convening of the Quadripartite meeting. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will host the 5th Quadripartite meeting, the first since the last was held in Paris in 2019.
The Prime Minister thanked her French counterparts for the continued good cooperation between both sides of the island. “I apologize in advance for those who would be inconvenienced and appreciate the population’s understanding as we mark this historic event.” said Prime Minister Jacobs.
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