External Affairs Minister Jaishankar meets Suriname President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, focuses on deepening bilateral cooperation

Paramaribo. India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with Suriname’s President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons. He said both countries are committed to realizing the “full potential” of bilateral relations.

Jaishankar arrived in Suriname on the second leg of his nine-day, three-nation visit. “It was a pleasure to meet President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons of Suriname this afternoon. I conveyed India’s warmest greetings to the government and people of Suriname. Our two nations are committed to realizing the full potential of our deep and long-standing relationship,” he said in a post on Instagram.

Earlier in the day, Indian and Surinamese delegations participated in a comprehensive review of bilateral
relations at the Joint Commission meeting. In another social media post, Jaishankar said the meeting discussed issues such as trade, digital and investment, defense and energy, development assistance and capacity building, health and mobility, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

He expressed confidence that the outcome of today’s discussions will further deepen and diversify our relations. The Foreign Minister also met his counterpart Melvin Bouva, with whom he had a “warm and open conversation.”

Earlier in the day, the Minister laid a wreath at the Baba and Mai Monument
, which represent the first Indian settlers to visit Suriname. He also paid tribute at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Central Para. Before arriving in Suriname, Jaishankar was in Jamaica.

Trinidad and Tobago is the next stop on his three-nation visit aimed at further strengthening India’s strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean countries.