THE arrival of a ministerial delegation from Suriname in Guyana on Wednesday reinforces an agreement by the two countries’ Heads of State to advance discussions on shared development.

That agreement is to be at both the policy and technical levels.
The delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Co-operation, Albert Ramdin; Suriname’s Minister of Public Works, Dr. Riad Nurmohamed; and Minister of Public Health, Ama Ramadhin, along with technical officers and other government officials.
The team arrived at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport just before 08:00hrs Wednesday for a three-day visit. Following the arrival, Minister Ramdin held discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd, on various areas of co-operation agreed upon by President, Dr Irfaan Ali and President Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi, President of Suriname, in August.

The two leaders had met and discussed a plan for a Strategic Dialogue and Co-operation Platform (SDCP), which is expected to be launched during this visit.
During the Suriname President’s August visit, President Ali had said they discussed co-operation on the management of the natural resources sector, local content policy in the oil and gas sector, the sharing of information on issues of security, use of technology, and joint radar surveillance of the border shared by the two countries and other matters.
President Ali had also said that both leaders committed to having their working committee meet again in October. That committee would be joined by ministers of the various sectors depending on the issue on the agenda to be discussed.

Wednesday’s visit followed a visit on October 10 by Dr. Nurmohamed, who toured the proposed site of the Corentyne River Bridge with a Guyana team led by Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill.

The ministers visited the landing areas in Guyana and Suriname and at Long Island. The flags of both countries were planted at those locations. Plans for erecting a high-span bridge linking the two countries also include the building of a flat bridge leading from Guyana to Long Island where a road will be built to connect to the Surinamese side.
Guyana and Suriname formally established diplomatic relations on November 25, 1975.