Presidents of Guyana, Suriname set for first meeting

Last Updated on Friday, 12 September 2025, 21:56 by Writer

President Irfaan Ali will be meeting with the President of Suriname Jennifer Geerlings-Simons for the first time on Saturday in Nickerie, a Surinamese township near the border between the two neighbouring countries, Foreign Secretary Robert Persaud confirmed.

He said the planned four-hour meeting is expected to focus on the construction of the Corentyne River bridge, energy and other bilateral issues.

The meeting will be held just days after Suriname’ Foreign Minister Melvin Bouva was in Guyana for Dr Ali’s second inauguration following his victory at the September 1 general and regional elections. He and Mr Bouva held brief discussions.

President Ali last week told reporters that Guyana and Suriname have to settle on the financing mechanism for the construction of the 1.1 kilometre bridge by China Road and Bridge Corporation.

The bridge caters for ships of 47,000 dead weight tonnes, a horizontal clearance of 100 metres and vertical clearance of 43 metres.

Guyana and Suriname are also interested in the joint exploration and production of natural gas.