Guyana, Suriname strengthen bilateral relations: “We recommit ourselves to accelerating growth and development” – President Ali

– commit to maximising private sector business investment
– recommitted to advancing security architecture, agriculture, fisheries

Guyana and Suriname have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, with Presidents Dr Irfaan Ali and Jennifer Geerlings-Simons pledging to accelerate cooperation in trade, energy, security and infrastructure development.
The two leaders met in Nieuw Nickerie on Saturday, where they held extensive discussions on advancing joint economic opportunities and consolidating ties rooted in shared values, geographic proximity and cultural connections.

Following the conclusion of high-level talks, both Presidents underscored the importance of encouraging private sector partnerships, including joint ventures, to maximise investment opportunities. According to President Ali, both nations agreed to establishing mechanisms to improve the ease of doing business, transparency, and efficiency for investors on both sides of the Corentyne.
“As we in Guyana, we are very pleased to reaffirm our strong commitment to this bilateral relationship, to reaffirm our commitment to the expanding of this relationship, and our bonds of friendship that exist between our two countries and our people. And importantly, a friendship and neighbourly relationship that is based on shared values, aspirations, our geographic proximity, our cultural ties, and more importantly, our commitment to peace, security and prosperity for our countries and our people”. “Energy security is an important pillar of our growth and development for both countries and we advance discussions as to how we can build this infrastructure, and support each other, not only in terms of the energy security of Guyana and Suriname, but also how we can play that wider role in terms of energy security and the possibilities around an energy economy for the rest of the region in CARICOM and, of course, for the field, not only in oil, but also gas development, renewable energy and the interconnection of our grid across the region. We are committed to exploring joint ventures, knowledge sharing, exchanging knowledge and technology and looking at investment opportunities in the energy ecosystem for both our countries to advance collectively and for our private sectors to also advance collectively,” the Head of State said.

Agriculture, fisheries
The leaders also pledged closer cooperation in food security, fisheries, and agriculture under the Strategic Dialogue and Cooperation Platform. A joint fisheries commission, including fisherfolk and technical teams, is expected to be established by the end of 2025. President Ali has revealed that both sides agreed on the need to urgently improve ferry services between the two countries and to collaborate on a regional ferry project to enhance trade and mobility.
“Agriculture, food security and fisheries are important sectors for both of us. We both have an enormous opportunity in contributing to the food security of CARICOM and in building out an ecosystem that would position Guyana and Suriname as major food producers in our region. Now, important in the movement of goods and services and people is the ferry service. We recognise that there needs to be improvement in the efficiency and reliability of the ferry service. Therefore, we agreed that there is a need for an urgent review to improve and strengthen the reliability and efficiency of this service, and we have committed to having that review and taking the necessary action that would lead to the improvement of that service,” he added.

Security and regional cooperation
Meanwhile, on security, Presidents Ali and Geerlings-Simons reiterated their commitment to fighting transnational crime, including drug and human trafficking, while advancing a coordinated security architecture. They also reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to resolving border issues peacefully through dialogue and international law. Both leaders restated their dedication to strengthening bilateral ties not only in the national interest but also for the benefit of CARICOM and the wider region, while positioning Guyana and Suriname as central players in regional food and energy security. “Madam President and I are both committed to taking a very strong position against transnational crime and to have our security architecture collaborate and work in a close manner in combating transnational crime. We reaffirm our dedication to strengthening the bilateral partnership between Suriname and Guyana and to working together in the interest of our people and in the interest of the people of CARICOM and this region as a whole. Important to this is also advancing the opportunity for technology transfer, knowledge sharing and educational cooperation,” Ali explained.