Members of the newly-installed Government on the French side of St. Martin paid a courtesy call on the Anguilla Government on Wednesday, July 25. They were welcomed by Acting Chief Minister Victor Banks on behalf of the Hon. Osbourne Fleming, who left the island on his way to the United States. There he will be undergoing follow-up medical checks now that his kidney transplant operation was done a year ago.

St. Martin and Anguilla Government Officials meeting in the Chief Minister’s Office In Anguilla on Wednesday, July 25

“It is a pleasure to welcome the new administration to Anguilla,” Mr. Banks said. “I think this is the first occasion where the local Government of St. Martin has had the opportunity to come to Anguilla en masse. We have had some very fruitful discussions relating to the relationship going forward with the new arrangement between French St. Martin and France.

“The Government of Anguilla of course has had a long and cordial relationship with St. Martin/St.Maarten but particularly the French side. A number of Anguillians have had the privilege of participating in business, residence there and in fact in Government on the French side and we are looking forward to a continued strong relationship. We are one space and we come from one people and we hope that the new status that St. Martin now has will allow us to foster more meaningful and even stronger relations than in the past.”

The reply was given by President of the St. Martin Government, Louis Constant Fleming.
“This is our first visit outside of St. Martin since we have taken office on the 15th of July,” he said. “We wanted to come here as quickly as possible, We haven’t even yet met with the Executive Council of the Dutch side and that shows the importance of the relationship and the cooperation between Anguilla and French St. Martin. We wanted to make sure that our counterparts over here get the clear message that things have changed in St. Martin from a simple municipality of Guadeloupe. We have now reached the level of an autonomous territorial Government and as such it means that the relationship and cooperation [between Anguilla and St. Martin] will be much more fruitful and easier.

“It took us a long time to reach our status, but finally we have gotten there; and we are happy to be able now to work together with both Anguilla and our counterparts on the Dutch side. It means that we can now see some real and constructive cooperation in this part of the Eastern Caribbean.”

Mr. Fleming was accompanied by four Vice Presidents in the St. Martin Government. They were First Vice President Martha Ogoondele-Testi responsible for Educational/Professional Training, Youth, Sports, Culture and Associated Life Affairs; Daniel Gibbs, Second Vice President with responsibility for Economic Development, Ports, Tourism and New Technologies; Claire Guion-Firmin, Third Vice President, responsible for Social Affairs; and Pierre Allioty, the Fourth Vice President who is in charge of Environment and Public Works.

Two members of the opposition having membership seats in the St. Martin Executive Council were also in the visiting party. They were Alain Richardson and Jean-Luc Hamlet.

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