State Secretary Zsolt Szabó will be visiting Aruba and Curaçao from the 8th up to and including the 11th of April. The working visit is all about getting to know the new government of Aruba, the Governor’s Consultation in Curaçao, and conducting discussions on the topics of good governance and entrepreneurship.
Aruba
The working visit starts in Aruba on Tuesday the 8th of April. Szabó will meet with the Ministers of the new Cabinet, led by Mike Eman, which has recently been sworn in. In addition to a meeting with the new ministerial team, the Dutch State Secretary will also be speaking with members of the Parliament of Aruba.
The visit to Aruba is also about good governance. For example, Mr Szabó is attending a lecture by Mieke de Droog, Programme Director of the Institute for Good Governance and Leadership of Aruba, at the University of Aruba. On campus, he will be taking part in an interactive question and answer session with students.
“Economic self-sufficiency, alongside good governance and solid finances, is one of the key priorities of Szabó.”. In Aruba he is therefore performing the opening of the new branch of technical installation company Pro-Tec. The company has recently been taken over by the Dutch company Van Dorp and specialises in the cooling of buildings through the use of seawater.
Curaçao
In Curaçao, the State Secretary will be taking part in the first Governor’s Consultation of this year on the 9th of April. This biennial consultation with the Governors of Curaçao, Aruba, and St. Maarten alternates between the Netherlands and one of the Caribbean countries.
In Curaçao, Szabó will be speaking with Prime Minister Gilmar ‘Pik’ Pisas and will be meeting with representatives of ‘Kòrsou Transparente’. This foundation is dedicated to prevention of and the fight against unethical behaviour and corruption in Curaçao.
On Thursday the 10th of April, Szabó will be speaking with Anouschka Cova, Director of the Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA), and Miles Mercera, Director of CINEX, the Curaçao Investment & Export Promotion Agency. Both meetings are about the economic development of the island.
Mr Szabó has a meeting with the new Consul General Ramón Negrón at the American consulate in Willemstad. Szabó will also be speaking about good governance and the tackling of corruption with the Investigation Cooperation Team (RST) and Attorney General Guillano Schoop, among others.
On Friday, 11 April, Mr. Szabó, along with the Minister of Finance of Curaçao, Mr. Silvania, will visit customs at the port of Curaçao. Following that, he’ll receive a briefing at Hato Airport on border security from the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. Finally, the State Secretary will join part of the consultation meeting with the Island Governors of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba that takes place in Curaçao.