King stresses Kingdom unity as four-country summit becomes annual

THE HAGUE — “Nos ta un Reino — We are one Kingdom.” With those words in Papiamento, King Willem-Alexander concluded the Caribbean section of Tuesday’s Speech from the Throne.

Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands received about 48 seconds of attention, considerably more than in the previous two years.

The main concrete announcement was that the summit between the four countries of the Kingdom — the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten — will now become an annual event.

The first summit under the new arrangement will take place this autumn and is expected to address further cooperation in areas including the economy, economic security, climate and waste management.

Sint Eustatius also received a separate mention ahead of the 250th anniversary of the historic salute that marked the first international recognition of the United States.

No specific financial commitments or individual projects for the Caribbean islands were announced. The emphasis was mainly on cooperation and the political and historical ties within the Kingdom.

Notably, the Caribbean section was the final substantive topic of the Speech from the Throne before the King’s closing remarks on democracy and cooperation.

He ended the passage in Papiamento: “Nos ta un Reino” — “We are one Kingdom.”