POND ISLAND – Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever said said he is pleased with the border control cooperation with the two sides of the island, Sint Maarten and Saint Martin by the relevant authorities, adding that the cooperation framework between the entities demonstrates the commitment to control and protect the islands borders.
Back in June 2018, Quadri-partition meeting that included France, the Netherlands, Sint Maarten and the Collectivity of Saint Martin, led to the signing of a Joint Declaration of Cooperation, which aims to strengthen cooperation in various areas but also between border control law enforcement agencies on both sides of the island.
Since the passing of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, there is a need to monitor migration flows from both sides of the island.
French Border Police (PAF) work along with Sint Maarten’s Immigration and Border Protection, the ALPHA Team at the Princess Juliana International Airport (Dutch side), and the L’Esperance Airport (French side), and the various agencies also maintain daily contact with each other.
“The cooperation agreement aims to leverage synergies between the border control agencies. It is a trusted partnership that benefits both sides of the island in this day and age.
“The collaboration ensures that resources are used in an efficient manner. The cooperation brings added value in expertise and support that benefits our island’s border security.
“Our island is in the rebuilding phase after the devastating and traumatic experiences and damage to critical infrastructure caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017.
“The execution of the declaration ensures during this critical phase in rebuilding, that together we are stronger in tackling challenges based on a common and coordinated approach with the overall goal of protecting our citizen’s security,” Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever said on Sunday.
