At the beginning of this month, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation between government representatives and representatives of the US Embassy in Suriname. The USAID regional representative was part of the US delegation.
This meeting serves as a prelude to further regular and structured consultations between the Surinamese and US authorities not only to discuss progress in the relationship, but also the possibility of further deepening cooperation.
Areas of cooperation discussed at this meeting include economic and financial stability and trade facilitation, assistance in combating COVID-19, law enforcement, defense cooperation and foreign policy in regional and international affairs.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs, International Business, International Cooperation, Finance, Planning, Justice, Police, Defense and Health exchanged views with the US delegation. During the meeting, it became clear that cooperation in many areas and meetings, including at the highest level, has intensified strongly in the past year.
On the 4th of July this year, the United States of America celebrated the anniversary of 245You are Independence Day and took the opportunity to have a short party with the attendees. President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, who was invited as the guest of honor, congratulated Independence Day on behalf of the government and people of Suriname, the American people and President Biden.
The Head of State also emphasized in his speech that freedom and democracy should be the common interests of all nations and that this celebration provides new opportunities for the American people to unite and celebrate the most important values that distinguish the American nation. President Santogi also examined potential partnerships between entrepreneurs and investors, which could contribute to the recovery of the economy. The hope was expressed that US investors would benefit from the opportunities and possibilities offered by Suriname.
During her speech, Ambassador Karen Williams discussed cooperation between the United States and Suriname in various fields and stressed that the American authorities will do everything in their power to expand this cooperation and raise it to higher levels.