WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao has a new Honorary Consul for Germany in Willemstad. Thomas Aardenburg has been appointed to represent German interests on the island and to provide assistance to German nationals in Curaçao and the wider region.
As Honorary Consul, Aardenburg will support German citizens with consular matters and act as a point of contact in situations where assistance is required. In addition to these duties, he is expected to play a role in strengthening economic and business ties by facilitating contacts between German and local entrepreneurs.
Honorary consuls serve as the “eyes and ears” of Germany in the Caribbean, working closely with German embassies and diplomatic missions. In the Netherlands, the German Consulate General in Amsterdam and the Embassy in The Hague are supported by a network of seven honorary consuls, a structure that also extends to overseas parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including Curaçao.
The appointment was formally marked during a semi-annual working meeting at the residence of the German ambassador, where the official letter of appointment was ceremonially presented to the new Honorary Consul in Willemstad.
The position of Honorary Consul is initially granted for a term of up to five years, with the possibility of extension. Germany also expressed its gratitude to the outgoing Honorary Consul, Karel Frielink, thanking him for his years of service to the Federal Republic of Germany and wishing him well in his future endeavors.