Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, recently attended the ceremonial Change of Command Royal Marechaussee at the Fokker Terminal on Binckhorstlaan in The Hague.

Roelofs stepped down after three years as commander. She made history as the first woman to lead the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. In her farewell remarks, she reflected on her term and thanked the organization’s personnel for their readiness to serve when called upon.

In addition to becoming Commander of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, Costongs assumed the ceremonial position of Governor of the Residence—Gouverneur der Residentie. This is a military position historically connected to The Hague as the seat of the Dutch government and Royal Court.

The Royal Netherlands Marechaussee has a continuing operational presence in the Dutch Caribbean. In Sint Maarten, it principally supports: Border-control operations; Immigration-related duties; Investigations into cross-border crime; Efforts against human smuggling and drug trafficking; Cooperation with the Police Force of Sint Maarten and other justice organizations; Assistance during emergencies, elections and periods requiring additional security capacity.

Because Sint Maarten is an autonomous country within the Kingdom, the Marechaussee performs supporting and agreed Kingdom-level functions and works closely with all justice chain institutions.

Durante el acto, la teniente general Annelore Roelofs transfirió formalmente el mando al teniente general Roger Costongs, formando parte Arrindell del cortejo civil junto a otros dignatarios.

Roelofs concluyó un mandato de tres años, haciendo historia como la primera mujer en liderar la organización. Por su parte, Costongs asumió el cargo de comandante y el puesto ceremonial de Gobernador de la Residencia en La Haya.

La Gendarmería Real mantiene presencia operativa en el Caribe Neerlandés, apoyando en Sint Maarten el control fronterizo, la inmigración, la lucha contra la delincuencia transfronteriza, el tráfico de drogas y la cooperación con la fuerza policial local. Al tratarse de un país autónomo dentro del Reino, la Marechaussee ejerce funciones de apoyo acordadas a nivel de Reino en estrecha colaboración con las instituciones de justicia.

Arrindell a declara dialuna cu e reunion di diabierna 28 di augustus 2026 tabata e prome biaha cu tres minister plenipotenciario por a ta presente hunto den un formato colectivo. Minister Plenipotenciario di Aruba, Mildred G.M. Schwengle, a keda nombra na maart, sigui recientemente pa Minister Plenipotenciario di Corsou, Sidney C. Justiana.

Arrindell a remarca cu ta importante pa e islanan CAS (Corsou, Aruba, Sint Maarten) di Reino mantene cooperacion cercano, intercambia bista riba rol y responsabilidad, y discuti prioridadnan. Algun tema cu por wordo trata ta e avance di e Paketenan di Pais (Landspakketten), siguridad alimentario via e Fondo Carifood, desaroyo socio-economico y eimplementacion di mocionnan di Segunda Camara Hulandes.

Arrindell liet maandag weten dat de vergadering van de Rijksministerraad op vrijdag 28 augustus 2026 de eerste keer was dat alle drie de Gevolmachtigde Ministers gezamenlijk aanwezig konden zijn. Aruba’s Gevolmachtigde Minister Mildred G.M. Schwengle werd in maart benoemd, kort daarna gevolgd door de recent aangetreden Gevolmachtigde Minister van Curaçao, Sidney C. Justiana.

Volgens Arrindell is het belangrijk dat de CAS-landen (Curaçao, Aruba en Sint Maarten) binnen het Koninkrijk nauw samenwerken, ervaringen uitwisselen over hun rollen en verantwoordelijkheden, en prioriteiten bespreken. Mogelijke onderwerpen zijn onder meer de voortgang van de Landspakketten, voedselzekerheid via het Carifood-fonds, sociaaleconomische ontwikkeling en de uitvoering van aangenomen moties door de Tweede Kamer.

Following the first meeting of the Kingdom Council of Ministers after the summer recess, Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, Sint Maarten’s Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague, welcomed the opportunity to engage with colleagues in The Hague on matters of public interest and shared importance.

Arrindell stated on Monday that Friday August 28, 2026, Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting, was the first time that three ministers of plenipotentiary were able to be present together in a collective setting.

Aruba’s Minister Plenipotentiary, Mildred G.M. Schwengle was appointed in March followed by Curacao’s Minister Plenipotentiary Sidney C. Justiana who was appointed recently.

Arrindell said it’s important for the CAS (Curacao, Aruba, Sint Maarten) islands of the Kingdom to maintain close cooperation, exchange views on role and responsibilities, and discuss priorities for each country.

Some of the topics that can be discussed are the progress and future outlook of the Country Packages (Landspakketten), food security initiatives through the Carifood Fund, broader Kingdom relation policies, socio-economic development, public finance oversight, and the implementation of previously adopted motions and commitments by the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament.

“It is important for the CAS islands to maintain a strong engagement as Kingdom partners and staying informed on parliamentary discussions that impact the countries of the Kingdom in general, and particularly Sint Maarten,” Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita Arrindell said on Monday.