Kingdom Council of Ministers, Dutch Parliament to address Venezuela impact Thursday and Friday

THE HAGUE--The Kingdom Council of Ministers (Rijksministerraad RMR), will meet in a scheduled session on Friday in light of recent developments in Venezuela and the possible consequences for the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.

Because agendas for meetings of the Kingdom Government are not published in advance, it remains unclear whether Friday’s discussion will focus only on the security situation or whether potential economic implications will also be addressed. It is also not known at whose initiative the additional RMR meeting was scheduled.

Additionally, the House of Representatives Committee for Foreign Affairs will hold a committee debate on Thursday on the “current developments in Venezuela and the security of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.” Three hours have been allocated for the debate with Minister of Foreign Affairs David van Weel, scheduled from 17:00 to 20:00 Dutch time.

The debate is taking place at the request of MP Don Ceder (ChristianUnion). State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Eddie van Marum will not participate. The committee has requested a government letter on the situation and the possible consequences for the ABC islands. The debate can be followed via the House of Representatives’ website.

Defense specialist and former lieutenant general Mart de Kruif has indicated that Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao do not need to fear an attack by Venezuela, citing the presence of a large American force in the region.

Economic consequences are viewed as a higher risk. Former CPB chairman Raymond Gradus noted that Americans tend to avoid overseas travel during crises. He added that if flights continue in the short term, the impact on European travelers with existing bookings may be limited, but new bookings will likely take the security situation into account, depending on how developments unfold.

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