THE HAGUE - Dear members of the Senate of the Dutch Parliament, Dear members of the Lower House of the Dutch Parliament, Dear members of the Parliament of Aruba, Dear Members of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, Dear members of the Parliament of Curaçao.

Also, on behalf of Mrs. Pauletta, chairman of the Government Affairs, Interparliamentary Relations and Foreign Relations Committee from the Parliament of Curaçao and the other members of the committee: Mrs. Mc William, Mr. Pisas, Mr. Rojer, Mr. Calmes, Mrs. Moses and Mr. Cordoba I want to thank the organization of this IPKO for all the efforts that have been made.

It is the first time since the restoration of interparliamentary contacts after 10 October 2010 that not all four parliaments are meeting in the IPKO. Yet the importance of the IPKO is underlined by all countries. It is precisely when things are difficult, especially when there are disagreements between countries, that there must be contact. Solutions must be found through the dialogue, and the IPKO is an excellent tool for this. Proof of this is the long process that has resulted in three principles that should form the basis for a dispute settlement. The process took a long time, given the time that had passed, but in the end the four parliaments of the countries were able to find each other in the principles. It therefore remains important that all countries adhere to the results achieved by the IPKO. Turning back to the agreements made in the IPKO, bears witness to a lack of respect for this platform and, by extension, a lack of respect for the peoples represented the various parliaments. The dispute settlement is not on the program, but the views of the respective countries are known and clear. We in Curaçao still assume that a dispute settlement system will be established that is supported by all four countries.

The problems that cause the situation in Venezuela are still clearly noticeable in Curaçao. The deteriorated economy on the island is a direct consequence of this. The poor economy in turn causes various social problems. There is uncertainty due to the impending closure of the oil refinery. Thousands of jobs are at stake and the income of more than 4000 families can be lost as a result.

Various efforts have been made by the parliament and the government of Curaçao to convince the Netherlands and the European Union of the seriousness of the situation with continued migration from Venezuela. It is estimated that more than 10 thousand people from Venezuela have come to Curaçao in the past period, without having the necessary residence permit. The impact of this is huge within our small community. It is remarkable that the EU itself showed an understanding of our situation in view of the small scale of the islands of the Dutch Kingdom in the Caribbean, while the Netherlands itself initially underestimated this.

Fortunately, people on this side of the ocean have come to a different awareness and there is now also a willingness from the Netherlands to make financial support available to address the problems of reception, custody and care of illegal migrants. The situation in Venezuela not only affects the islands themselves but poses a direct threat on the border of the Kingdom. It is possible to frame this problem legally in terms of admission and expulsion, which is strictly speaking a local problem.

However, in terms of the socio-economic reality, it is a much broader perspective; it affects human rights and how the Kingdom deals with it, it touches the perspectives of the islanders, it affects the future of us all. As a Kingdom, we must actively, as a unit, seek solutions for this. It can and may not be that a part of the Kingdom turns its back on this and leaves other parts of the Kingdom with the problems.

The position of the small-scale nature of the Caribbean islands within the Kingdom can be compared to the small-scale nature of the Netherlands in a European context. But respect requires that all interests of the greater whole are taken into account. It is therefore incomprehensible when parliamentarians speak disrespectfully towards other smaller groups within the Kingdom, as recently happened by a member of the Lower House who would have said:

"We are 17 million and you are 300 thousand together, so you must be happy with what you have."

If one only looks at numbers of inhabitants, then equality within a Kingdom like this seems a difficult concept, but that does not mean that there shouldn’t be respect. Although the democratic deficit exists within the Kingdom, this does not alter the fact that the standards of proportional authority must always be sought, since the autonomy of the various countries must be respected within the Kingdom.

From my first speech at the IPKO, I have emphasized the importance of cooperation and mutual respect. This remains unchanged. The countries must continue to support each other and together make the most of the many opportunities that the Kingdom offers. Showing respect for each other remains the basis in this.

The parliament of Curaçao remains determined to continue working on improving the well-being of its citizens. Only when citizens are doing well will society prosper.

We have an interesting program ahead of us. I wish all delegations every success. Finally, I want to thank Mr. Van Ganzevoort for his constructive attitude in recent years and the way in which he has chaired. We are happy that he is willing to remain part of the Dutch delegation to the IPKO. At the same time I want to welcome Mr. Rosenmöller as new chairman of the Senate committee and wish him a lot of wisdom. As an old acquaintance of the Caribbean, I am convinced that he too will prove to be a valuable addition to the IPKO.

The President of the Parliament of Curaçao,

Mr. William Millerson