PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – President of Parliament Drs. Gracita Arrindell would like to congratulate Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Chairman Honourable Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis, Dr. Denzil Douglas, with respect to entry into force the revised OECS Treaty establishing an economic union among sub-regional nations.
The OECS’s economic union will empower the citizens of the union by making possible greater freedom of movement and of economic action.
The revised treaty was signed back on June 18, 2010 in St. Lucia, with Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts & Nevis agreeing that January 21 was the date for the treaty to commence operation.
Montserrat, British Virgin Islands and Anguilla British dependencies are also members of the OECS along with the six independent countries.
On June 18, 1981, the Treaty of Basseterre was signed leading to the establishment of the OECS.
"I believe that Sint Maarten as a country needs to pursue closer relations with the islands within the region, especially under the umbrella of the OECS and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
"Such relations can lead to functional cooperation and a deepening of regional understanding for issues that affect us all as regional countries. Economic blocks have been formed across the globe, and Sint Maarten as a young country has to look outside the box and at the global realities.
"The OECS has a population of over half a million. As a nation we are well aware of the importance of the Caribbean shopper and the contributions they have made to our economy over the years.
"There are many benefits and opportunities that we should further explore and this can only be done by joining with such regional institutions as the OECS and CARICOM to the benefit and welfare of the country," President of Parliament Honourable Gracita Arrindell said on Tuesday.