Senator the Honourable Dr. Amery Browne, Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, received a farewell courtesy call from His Excellency Sándor Marnix Raphaël Varga Van Kibéd En Makfalva, outgoing Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Trinidad and Tobago during a Courtesy Call on 27th January, 2023 at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs.
Minister Browne extended congratulations to the Ambassador for his invaluable contribution to the Trinidad and Tobago/Netherlands partnership and presented him with a plaque in honour of his service. The Minister outlined progress in several areas during the Ambassador’s tenure including the enhanced air connectivity, not only between Trinidad and Tobago and Amsterdam but also with Trinidad and Tobago and Curaçao; virtual meetings conducted by Minister Browne with the Prime Minister of Curaçao and a virtual meeting with the Prime Minister of Aruba; the high-level Visit to Curaçao by Senator the Honourable Paula Gopee-Scoon, Minister of Trade and Industry of Trinidad and Tobago; the participation of Senator the Honourable Randall Mitchell, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Arts, in the Vakantiebeurs Expo 2023; enhanced cooperation in sport and energy and the continued activity of Dutch companies in Trinidad and Tobago. Minister further applauded the Ambassador’s clear articulation of the position of the Dutch Government in regard to the Russia/Ukraine conflict and that he was one of the first Heads of Missions to reach out in an effort to discuss navigating this challenge.
Ambassador Varga expressed appreciation to the Minister for his willingness to work closely with him to advance bilateral ties. He highlighted that 2022 marked sixty years of diplomatic relations between the two countries and noted that the Kingdom of the Netherlands was one of the first countries to recognize the Independence of Trinidad and Tobago. He referred to a Meeting in 1962 between the then Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and the then Queen of the Netherlands, during which a collaboration in agriculture was discussed. It was therefore a pleasure that sixty years later, dialogue on agriculture was again discussed during the event commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of diplomatic relations at the Regional Conference on Agriculture in Tobago.
The Ambassador then called attention to another joint endeavour between the two countries the current "Caribbean Ties: Connected People Then and Now" Exhibition in Santa Rosa, Arima. He added that this is a collaboration with the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago and other local and regional entities and underscored its importance in providing insight into the lifestyle of the indigenous people of the region.
The Minister joined his Caribbean counterparts in commending the positive step taken by the Dutch Government in issuing an apology for its historical role in slavery and the slave trade; further to which the Ambassador underscored that this laid the groundwork for future deliberations on the matter.
The Meeting ended with the Minister pledging his commitment to work closely with the current Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the Embassy and the Ambassador’s successor, when identified, to strengthen the bilateral partnership.
