PRESIDENT of Suriname, Desire Bouterse, has reiterated his commitment to the integration process and has underscored his interest in agriculture as a vehicle for the development of the Community.

The commitment was made during a briefing session in Suriname by a team from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat led by Secretary General Edwin Carrington.

The team comprised Dr. Edward Greene, Assistant Secretary-General Human and Social Development; Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, Assistant Secretary-General Trade and Economic Integration, and Ms. Glenda Itiaba, Chef de Cabinet, Office of the Secretary-General.

President Bouterse and his team, including Vice President Robert Ameerali and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Winston Lackin, were apprised of the structure and functioning of the Community and the key issues that the Region was grappling with currently.

The briefing placed emphasis on Suriname’s responsibilities within the Community’s Quasi Cabinet of Heads of Government – Community Development and Cultural Cooperation including Culture, Gender, Youth and Sport – with specific reference to the follow-up to the Special CARICOM Summit on Youth Development held in Paramaribo in January.

Secretary-General Carrington took the opportunity during the visit to commend the work of the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors of Suriname.

During the two briefing sessions that were characterized as ”productive”, the team also updated President Bouterse on matters of governance and the Inter-Governmental Task Force (IGTF) that was reconstituted to further revise the Treaty of Chaguaramas.

While in Suriname, Secretary-General Carrington took the opportunity to visit the Caribbean Regional Information and Translation Institute (CRITI) and the CARICOM Competition Commission (CCC), Regional Institutions that are both based in Paramaribo. He met and addressed the staff members of both organizations.

Mr. Hendrik Setrowidjojo, Suriname Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, took the Secretary-General on a guided tour of the facilities earmarked for the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) which also has its headquarters in Paramaribo.

A statement from the CARICOM Secretariat said Secretary-General Carrington also visited a Public Health Laboratory that will form part of the network of the Caribbean Public Health Authority (CARPHA).