This announcement was made by Bahamian Governor General Arthur D. Hanna as he accepted Letters of Credence from Christiaan Mark Johan Kroner, non-Resident Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Bahamas, at a ceremony at Government House on Thursday, 7th February.

Hanna noted that the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba form an integral part of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, which like the Bahamas, is built on tourism and financial services.

“The Bahamas would like to embrace opportunities to fortify our relations in these areas,” the Governor General remarked.

He went on to observe that both countries share a fundamental belief in democratic values, international cooperation, and in upholding and advancing the rule of international law.

“In this regard, the Bahamas looks forward to the continued partnering with the Kingdom of the Netherlands in promoting the common goals of peace, goodwill, sovereign equality and security,” the Governor General stated.

He told the Ambassador that the Bahamas intends to use his office to further the long-standing friendship between both countries, given the Netherlands’ membership in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Union.

“We, therefore, count on the Kingdom of The Netherlands to ensure the OECD’s regulations on financial services are fair, just and equitable for all,” Hanna announced, adding: “It is also our hope that The Netherlands will play an important role in ensuring that European Union investment in the Bahamas is sustained, indeed increased, and the transfer of advanced management skills and new technologies emphasised.”