The government of Aruba and the Eerste Kamer (Senate ) and Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) meet.
ORANJESTAD— On Monday, April 28, the Prime Minister of Aruba, Mr. Mike Eman, and the Minister of Kingdom Relations, Mr. Gerlien Croes, received the President of the Dutch First Chamber, Jan Anthonie Bruijn, and the President of the Dutch Second Chamber, Martin Bosma.
During the meeting, they addressed several issues of importance for Aruba and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The government presented its vision to the Dutch delegation. It emphasized the strategic role that the Netherlands can have in Aruba's development, stimulating a win-win relationship, as has been done in the past with renowned institutions such as KLM, Schiphol, Philips, Rietveld, and TNO. It can create a spillover effect for Aruba in the Netherlands to attract more prestigious institutes and companies to participate actively in our island's future.
According to the government, Wageningen University will visit Aruba next week to support agricultural growth, a top goal for economic diversification. The commitment to invest in Kingdom relations is to achieve more political stability and new opportunities for all Arubans.
Regarding the discussions on the Rijkswet (KIngdom law), the Prime Minister emphasized that although the government has only been in power for a month, they submitted all necessary documents before May 1.
Mr. Gerlien Croes, Minister of Kingdom Relations, declared that the Netherlands is very interested in enhancing collaboration inside the Kingdom. Relationships in the Kingdom need to be given more substance and worth, and it seems there are fresh opportunities to collaborate well.
President of the Eerste Kamer, Jan Anthonie Bruijn, described the meeting as a "productive and constructive exchange of thought. He referred to the importance of the KOREL Committee (Kingdom Relations Committee) and Defense Committee in light of current geopolitical changes. "The relationship is good, and we will continue to strengthen it. Especially in times of global tension, a strong relationship between our countries is of utmost importance," Bruijn said.
The President of the Tweede Kamer, Martin Bosma, emphasized Aruba's tourism growth and how the Netherlands can learn from our success. Aruba wants to expand the prosperity of the tourism sector to reach the entire community and not just the operators.
In light of Aruba's dry climate, they also discussed alternative sectors that could be developed there, like the agricultural technology sector.