Curaçao has signed an International Friendship Agreement with the City of Savannah, Georgia, adding a direct city level channel to its economic relationship with the United States. Signed on 30 September by Minister of Economic Development Roderick Middelhof and Mayor Van R. Johnson II, the agreement shows a government that is building economic ties in more than one way.
A Relationship Two Years in the Making
The agreement traces back to the Royal Couple’s working visit to Georgia in June 2024, which included a meeting at Savannah City Hall and a visit to Savannah State University. The then Minister of Economic Development accompanied the Royal Couple and raised the idea of a structural relationship with Mayor Johnson, who responded positively. Teams on both sides then kept the conversation going for two years.
The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Atlanta supported that process, with former Consul General Jaap Veerman playing a key role in building the contacts. It was the consulate that helped bring Curaçao and Savannah into contact.
Complementary Strengths, Comparable Scale
Savannah and Curaçao are close in population, but their strengths differ in ways that can complement each other. Savannah hosts one of the most important ports in the United States, has a strong industrial and aviation sector with companies such as Gulfstream Aerospace and Hyundai, and carries deep knowledge of the sea, fisheries and coastal areas.
That knowledge was visible in the Savannah delegation. Representatives of Savannah State University held first talks with organizations on Curaçao about research, education, and marine and coastal knowledge. The agreement identifies eight areas for cooperation: trade and investment, tourism and heritage tourism, marine and coastal research, the creative industries, hospitality and culinary tourism, innovation, education and sport. On sport, Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas asked for research into how the knowledge, experience and coaches of Savannah can contribute to the further development of sport on Curaçao.
Why a City Level Agreement Matters
The policy significance lies in the model. The agreement shows that Curaçao can build economic relations with cities and regions in other countries, alongside its relationships with national governments. Businesses, universities, government organizations and communities can then work with each other directly, around shared economic, scientific or cultural interests.
That approach fits the Ministry’s wider agenda of diversifying beyond tourism and strengthening Curaçao’s role in logistics and maritime activity. It also sits alongside recent outreach to Panama, Miami and Houston. The goals here run in two directions: to interest Savannah companies in opportunities on Curaçao, and to help Curaçao entrepreneurs build contacts and do business in Savannah and the wider US market.
From Signature to Accountability
Minister Middelhof was clear that the agreement must become more than a document with two signatures. He called on Parliament to keep following the implementation and to ask the government about progress and results. Members of the Council of Ministers, the Chairman of Parliament and members of Parliament’s Economic Committee attended the signing, alongside US Consul General Ramón “Chico” Negrón and Prime Minister Pisas.
The signing is not the end of the process. It is the start of the work. As Mayor Johnson put it during his visit, friendship is the foundation, and doing business with friends can make cooperation easier, more lasting and more meaningful.
Curaçao has signed the first page. What gets built on it is the part that counts.