POINTE BLANCHE--United States Consul General Valerie Belon underscored her country's partnership with the Dutch Caribbean and the wider region and the need for those to continue to keep residents as well as US citizens visiting the islands safe during a US Independence Day reception at Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities Thursday evening.
The Fourth of July reception, attended by Governor Eugene Holiday, President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell and Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, a cross section of US citizens residing here, and other government officials, culminated with a fireworks display over Great Bay. The fireworks show was sponsored by St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies.
The celebration goes further than the marking of the country's independence; it is about "enduring friendship and partnership" like the ones that exist between the Dutch Caribbean islands and the United States.
The US is "constructing partnerships" and is "eager to work with partners" because it does not have all the answers nor resources to combat the illicit drug trade, organised crime, and trafficking in people and goods. Fighting these ills can only be effective with joint collaboration, Belon said.
Safety of the some four million US citizens who visit the Dutch Caribbean annually is paramount to the country. The efforts to keep those visitors safe by the US have as a result improved the safety of the people of the Dutch Caribbean islands, she added. This will ensure that St. Maarten's tourism continues to "grow and thrive."
St. Maarten and the US have a shared history and traits as "a melting pot for immigration."
St. Eustatius Lt. Governor Gerald Berkel was also at the reception. Belon pointed out the US historical ties to that island as the first to salute the fledgling United States 236 years ago.
Belon also read a message from US President Barack Obama on the independence celebration that was read in the embassies and consulates around the world.
This was the first time the US Consul General has hosted an independence reception in St. Maarten. This is a result of the attainment of the status of country within the Dutch Kingdom. Belon said she got to celebrate the Fourth of July "in three days, on three islands" of the Dutch Caribbean. Receptions were also held in Curaçao and Aruba.
The Harbour Group of Companies, represented by Hector Peters, gave Belon a large framed aerial photo of cruise ships berthed at the two piers.
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