St. Maarten was recently admitted as an associate member of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) during the 19th Ordinary Meeting of the Ministerial Council of the ACS in Trinidad and Tobago.
Khalilah Peters, acting head of the St. Maarten Department of Foreign Relations, and Patrice Gumbs, senior policy advisor at the St. Maarten Department of Foreign Relations, attended the meeting and successfully lobbied for St. Maarten's admittance into the organization.
"It is important that we remain a player in the region and that we strengthen the bonds between us and the nations of the Caribbean," said St. Maarten Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams in a written release. "One of the things I have been stressing on is regarding our responsibilities and roles that we have to take on as a country. One of those is participation in regional and international organizations. Now we have the capacity to meet with the ACS which gives us a voice in the region."
The ACS is a group of contracting states, countries and territories in the Greater Caribbean Region who have come together as an organization for consultation, cooperation and concerted action for its member nations. Its framework allows its members to identify and address common interests and concerns regarding trade, transport, sustainable tourism and natural disasters in the Greater Caribbean Region. The organization is comprised of member states, associate members, observers and social partners.
Visit www.vacationstmaarten.com.