(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) His Excellency Desire Bouterse, President of Suriname stressed his country’s commitment to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and regional integration during a meeting with CARICOM Secretary-General His Excellency Edwin Carrington on Monday.

President Bouterse called on the Secretary-General at CARICOM Secretariat’s Georgetown Headquarters on Monday afternoon during an official visit to Guyana and emphasised that CARICOM was very important to Suriname.

‘You would find my Government more regionally oriented and our relations with CARICOM will become more intensive,” the President told the Secretary-General and members of his executive management team. The President was accompanied by His Excellency Harvey Naarendrop, Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Suriname,  Foreign Minister the Honourable Winston Lackin, and Her Excellency Manorma Soeknandan, Suriname's Ambassador to Guyana, Jamaica and CARICOM.

The President noted that since Suriname joined CARICOM in 1995, their trade balance with the fellow members of the Community had moved for a deficit of US $50 million to a surplus in 2008. This he said was proof of the intensified economic activity between Suriname and the rest of the Community and he was convinced that even more could be achieved. He added that under his leadership, “we will go for the challenge.”

President Bouterse, whose country has lead responsibility for Youth, Sport, Culture and Gender within CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet, praised the contribution of Secretary-General Carrington to the Caribbean, calling him a champion of integration. He said the Secretariat, under Mr Carrington’s leadership, had become an invaluable vehicle for integration. “We regret your departure and will always be grateful to you for your endeavours,” the Surinamese President said.

Secretary-General Carrington said it had been his pleasure to see Suriname transformed from being the newcomer to one of the most active members of the Community. This, he said, was a tribute to the dynamism of the country. He alluded to the fact that Suriname now housed the headquarters of three critical Community institutions, the CARICOM Competition Commission, the Caribbean Regional Information and Translation Institute (CRITI) and the Caribbean Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA).

The Secretary-General informed the President that CRITI had translated the report of the CARICOM Youth Summit, held in Paramaribo, Suriname last January, into Dutch and French making it available in the three languages spoken in the Community.

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org