Wescot-Williams: Rules-Based International order vital for St. Maarten’s security, economy

GREAT BAY--“For Sint Maarten, a stable and rules-based international environment is essential to economic security, social stability, and long-term resilience,” MP Sarah Wescot-Williams said, urging the Kingdom government to explicitly account for Sint Maarten as regional tensions continue to generate ripple effects across the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands.

In a letter to the Prime Minister of St. Maarten, Wescot-Williams called for Sint Maarten’s interests to be clearly reflected as the Kingdom assesses evolving conditions in the wider Caribbean. She noted that a debate on the regional situation (that meeting was held on Thursday) has been requested in the Dutch Second Chamber, and cautioned that Sint Maarten must not be overlooked in those discussions, even if the island is not at the geographic center of the immediate developments.

“Small island societies experience the effects of regional uncertainty differently and often more acutely,” she wrote. “Scale matters. What may be manageable elsewhere can have immediate consequences for Sint Maarten.”

Wescot-Williams pointed to Article 3 of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, emphasizing that foreign affairs and safeguarding the international legal order are Kingdom responsibilities. She said that responsibility requires inclusive consideration of all parts of the Kingdom, including in Second Chamber debates and in the way Dutch ministers engage internationally as Kingdom ministers.

“In a time of heightened geopolitical tension, legitimacy matters,” she stated. “When Dutch ministers act as Kingdom ministers on the international stage, their authority derives from the Kingdom as a whole. That authority must therefore be matched by accountability to all parliamentary bodies within the Kingdom.”

The MP also stressed that the Kingdom should continue to promote peaceful and lasting solutions grounded in respect for sovereignty, international law, and multilateral cooperation.

‍