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PHILIPSBURG--Dutch Ambassador to Cuba Norbert Braakhuis addressed a full room of attendees at University of St. Martin on Thursday night in an informative lecture focussing on the economic and political facets that have shaped Cuba, and what the cumulative changes the country has been experiencing and those it is expected to experience can mean for the Caribbean region.
A diverse group of stakeholders was in attendance, including ministers, Government officials, lawyers and key private sector leaders and representatives.
Braakhuis also announced that a Kingdom trade mission was planned and that he would facilitate local stakeholders in making connections there.
Braakhuis presented a wealth of information on Cuba’s history, including how various developments, policies, laws and attitudes had shaped the economic and political landscape. Amongst the more recent developments discussed were a pick-up in pace of US/Cuba negotiations, US President Barack Obama easing travel restrictions and an investment law introduced last year.
Braakhuis also speculated as to how the country might develop further, given developments such as new investment interests and property prices steeply increasing.
The country has been receiving trade missions from all over, including Belgium, Serbia, France, Italy, Germany and China, over the past seven or eight months, he said. Prime Minister Gumbs later added that two Caribbean countries to the list.
Braakhuis also pointed out limitations to Cuba’s economic development and said that most developments, both good and bad, were largely not heard of or written about.
In terms of tourism, he said St. Maarten would have to think about what to do and whether it would like to work together with Cuba, perhaps by promoting multi-destination trips. Without overstating its threat, he said that any fast-growing destination eventually would have an impact and that Cuba had “the best diving in the world†and “a string of cities across the country†that were “perfect†for cruises.
However, he made the point that the Caribbean has “a privileged seat†in terms of being able to work with Cuba and that if St. Maarten wished to do so, it had to prevent finding itself “too far down the line.†Although the Netherlands had a unique and positive relationship with Cuba, this had been strained due to human rights issues and Europe as a whole developed a strained relationship as a result.
Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs congratulated Braakhuis on a successful lecture, presented him with a small painting by Ruby Bute and said that three or four groups were lining up already to visit Cuba.
Dignitaries present also included Ministers Dennis Richardson, Martin Hassink and Ernest Sams, President of Parliament Lloyd Richardson and Member of Parliament Leona Marlin-Romeo.
