Press statement by EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar after India - Suriname Joint Commission Meeting in Paramaribo (May 06, 2026)

Excellency Minister Melvin Bouva,
Colleagues of the two delegations,

Friends of the media,

I am really delighted to be in Suriname for the 9th Joint Commission Meeting and this incidentally happens to be my first ever visit to this beautiful country as well, and it is a particular pleasure that this year is also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries.

2. The last decade has seen a visible upswing in our bilateral ties. President Droupadi Murmu and her predecessor President Ramnath Kovind both visited this country, in 2023 and 2018 respectively. The Speaker of our Parliament Om Birla ji was also here in 2022. From the Suriname side, visits of the President and the Speaker were reciprocated. Prime Minister Modi had the pleasure of meeting the latePresident Santokhi at the India-CARICOM Summit in 2024 as well. I have myself been in regular touch with my Suriname counterparts, including you Minister, as indeed have some other Ministers of our Governments. Our goal today is not only to take this momentum forward but to deepen and broaden our cooperation, and that is the purpose of my visit and the conversations I had today, Minister, have really helped to set that out.

3. The Joint Commission deliberations have obviously enabled us to take a comprehensive review of our relationship. We discussed the importance of high-level visits and exchanges, the prospects for greater trade and investment, the benefits of a deeper development partnership, the potential in defence and security cooperation, the importance of capacity building and the value of culture and people-to-people exchanges. Obviously, our talks also touched onsome global and multilateral issues, but we will take that forward during the rest of my stay.

4. For your benefit, allow me to highlight some key points of India's approach to its relationship with Suriname today:

(i) We have a deep and trusted relationship because it rests on the foundation of a strong people-to-people connect. Our endeavour is to strengthen that base, particularly through activities and initiatives to which the ordinary citizen can connect. Your celebration, Minister, of Heritage month is particularly notable in this regard and we would be privileged to be associated and contribute to it in some manner. My Prime Minister Narendra Modi always says that tradition and technology should go hand-in-hand and we would certainly like to demonstrate that in this relationship.

(ii) India appreciates that Suriname is today poised to take big steps forward in its developmental journey. In the past, India has collaborated on setting up transmission lines, renovation of water pumping stations, establishment of a steel rolling mill, supply of hydraulic excavators, etc. We are open to offering new Lines of Credit for projects that the Suriname Government deems important and appropriate.

(iii) Defence and security are a priority for Suriname as it is for other nations. Our past cooperation has included helicopters, fire tenders, and uniforms supply. India is willing to respond to further needs of the Suriname military and police, including in capacity building.

(iv) In terms of community development and small projects that have a societal resonance, I am glad to note that the Passion Fruit Processing Unit established under the India-CARICOM grant initiative is now ready. I look forward to its handover tomorrow. Under the India-UNDP Programme, we have recently completed an Early Warning Services Delivery Project in remote areas. We have, in addition, delivered on four Quick Impact Projects, with a fifth ready to go.

(v) Trade and tourism are important for our relationship, and I want to share with you that today India's trade with the Latin American Caribbean region is in the ballpark of about 40 to 45 billion dollars annually. We are significant producers of a range of goods which are particularly appropriate for a market where the middle class is rapidly expanding. So, we do believe that India fits the bill as Suriname looks for more bigger economic partners, and that is a point that I made to the Minister in the Joint Commission.

(vi) In terms of the Capacity Building, again India has developed strengths and experiences we are happy to share. This includes the range of digital practices and capabilities, and I remind you that we are all now moving into an AI era. We had a participation from your Government at the Ministerial level at the recent AI Impact Summit, and the discussion there was how we each adapt and deploy AI for our particular circumstances, and that is something we would be very happy to have a dialogue with and a cooperation going with Suriname. So overall, I want to say that each of these dimensions of our partnership will be taken forward in the coming years, and recognizing that our Joint Commission Meeting today has set out more ambitious goals and targets. Suriname is on the move, we see your growth potential, we see the path ahead for you, and we, Minister, want to assure you, of your fellow traveler and your partner in that journey.

5. We are two nations with shared history and a common commitment to the Global South. It is natural that our relationship should set a high value on exchange of best practices, increase in capacity building and in strengthening the traditional bonds between our people. We are also members of a number of international initiatives. We work closely at the UN and multilateral bodies. India is deeply invested in the success of the CARICOM and the CELAC. Suriname has joined India in the International Solar Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance. So, those are all additional and important touch points of our ties.

6. Friends, today I will be calling on Her Excellency the President, meeting with the Chairman of National Assembly and interacting later in the day with other senior Ministers of the Government. This is, as I said, my first visit and I am obviously keen to make as much of it as I can. But most of all, I want to appreciate Minister, the warmth of the welcome, the hospitality, and the very very productive conversations that we have had today. Thank you very much!

Paramaribo
May 07, 2026