GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Plenipotentiary Hon. Mathias S. Voges represented the country at 2012 Carekine Business Summit, held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands last week Friday.
The objective of the business summit was to connect the business world of the Netherlands with the Caribbean Region.
The organizer created a platform where companies, government representatives and (development) banks were able to get acquainted and whereby parties had the opportunity to discuss opportunities and to see how parties could facilitate each other.
In the presence of other speakers, such as the Ministers Plenipotentiary of Aruba and Curacao, the Dutch representative of the BES islands, and the Vice-President of the Caribbean Development Bank, Dr. Carla Barnett, Minister Plenipotentiary, Hon. Mathias S. Voges, outlined the position of Sint Maarten with regards to the possibilities we have to offer in order to attract investors from the Netherlands.
He informed the audience that Sint Maarten as a country is busy intensifying her efforts in the sustainable growth of her own market, but also looking at possibilities to increase possibilities of mutual trade in the Caribbean.
The Minister in light hereof emphasized the hub-, and gateway function Sint Maarten has in the Caribbean region.
Minister Voges said the modern harbour and airport facilities should be able to support these efforts as well as the efforts the government of Sint Maarten is undertaking to diversify her economy.
Emphasis was also placed on the historical fact that investors from around the world were able to find their way to Sint Maarten throughout the past decades, while the interest from the Netherlands, besides a few large contractors and wholesalers, remained rather conservative.
We must not see the ocean that divides the countries as an obstruction but as a means of getting in contact with each other Minister Voges said.
The audience was further informed about Sint Maarten's import duty free status and the possibilities of favorable tax-rulings. The spotlight was also aimed at the Government's development priorities, such as sustainable economic development, a (financial) sovereign rating for Sint Maarten, small business development, revised tax legislation, green sustainable energy, and human resources. These all being ingredients which should create trust and stability as an "investment partner", Hon. Minister Mathias Voges told his audience.
Minister Voges, accompanied by his cabinet staff members Perry Geerlings and Carol Voges, invited the attendees to meet with his staff in the scheduled parallel sessions for more detailed information on our economy and procedures with regards to establishing a business on Sint Maarten.
The parallel session scheduled for Sint Maarten was very well attended by interested parties from all segments of the business world. We were able to further inform and discuss possibilities and policies with people interested in green and sustainable energy, building of green energy production and development facilities, construction and expansion of harbor facilities, hotel construction, facilities for the production of goods for the Caribbean and Latin American markets, education and human resources, agriculture and small business entrepreneurship, Minister Voges told the Department of Communication (DCOMM) on Tuesday.
Follow up meetings with interested parties are being scheduled for the month of July and August.
Minister Voges extended his gratitude and appreciation to the organizers for a well-organized event and the opportunity created for all involved.
He particularly thanked Evelin-Pierre Dumfries and as token of appreciation he presented her with the "Golden Book" of Sint Maarten.
