DOMINICAN REPUBLIC/HARBOUR VIEW--Governor Eugene Holiday recently paid a three-day official visit to the Dominican Republic from April 27 to April 30, to promote the partnership and to strengthen ties between St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic.
Governor Holiday was received by Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina at his presidential palace. They discussed issues of mutual interest including the potential for cooperation that benefits both countries.
Holiday also held discussions with the President of the Supreme Court Mariano German Mejia, and the Vice Minister of the Cabinet of the President Zoraima Cuello, charged with disaster management. The latter provided the governor with an outline of her ongoing disaster management initiatives and her plans to establish cooperation with other Caribbean countries in this field. The vice minister also provided the Governor with a tour and briefing of the recently established 911 emergency call and CCTV monitoring centre for the city of Santo Domingo.
Holiday, considering the history of the people of St. Maarten with San Pedro de Macoris, visited the city where he was welcomed by and held talks with the Provincial Governor Felix de los Santos. Following the meeting, Holiday toured San Pedro de Macoris and visited locations associated with the period at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, when large numbers of people from the English speaking Caribbean migrated to San Pedro de Macoris to work in the sugar cane industry.
The guided tour included stops at, amongst others, the local museum, the fire department and three churches. Evidence of the migration of St. Maarteners to San Pedro de Macoris in that period was found in existing records of family names from that period and was accentuated by the fact that the Governor met with people who have their roots in St. Maarten.
Holiday, in addition to the governmental meetings, visited the Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo where he received an outline about the private sector investment in the restoration of that historic area. He also received a briefing and tour of the marine terminal of Punta Caucedo, which is an important and growing container port in the Caribbean through which goods are shipped weekly to St. Maarten.
On April 29, Holiday was the guest of honour at the King's Day reception, hosted by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Mrs. M. van Drunen Littel, where he met officials of the Dominican government, private sector and members of the Dutch Community in the Dominican Republic.
Addressing the reception, the governor highlighted the long-standing friendships and relations which exist with the Dominican Republic, St. Maarten and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. "Since becoming a country within the Kingdom in 2010, St. Maarten has found it important to participate in regional organisations such as the Association of Caribbean States, as well as to strengthen ties with our Caribbean neighbours to help achieve our socio-economic goals," he said.
Referring to the strong historic and cultural ties between the peoples of St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic, he stated: "This opens the door for building formal partnerships based on shared values and ideas that benefit our people and communities. That is cooperation which can contribute to the building and maintaining of strong communities in which our citizens can live safe, free and in prosperity."
