Guyana, Suriname presidents to discuss Corentyne River bridge

Last Updated on Monday, 8 September 2025, 23:33 by Writer

President Irfaan Ali on Monday said he and his Surinamese counterpart Jennifer Geerlings-Simons would be meeting shortly to discuss the construction of the proposed Corentyne River bridge to link the neighbouring South American countries.

“I think very, very early; maybe over this weekend there will be a face-to-face meeting with the President of Suriname and the ministries are working that out to advance these projects,” he told reporters shortly after swearing in Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Office of the President.

Dr Ali said part of the discussions between Guyana and Suriname was centered on financing the construction of the bridge. “That is part of what we’re discussing – the financing mechanism, how it will be structured and those kinds of things. That is what has to be finalised,” he added.

Asked whether Suriname – whose new government was sworn in last July – has committed to going ahead with building the bridge, the President referred to Monday’s meeting with Suriname’s new Foreign Affairs Minister Melvin Bouva at State House. “We have not had any changes in the commitment. Even today, we have not had a response that this is not a priority but the meeting this weekend hopefully would clarify and would settle what the priorities are for Suriname at this time,” he said.

The Chandrikapersad Santokhi administration was enthusiastic about building the 1.1 kilometre bridge, and Guyana and Suriname had even picked China Road and Bridge Corporation to do so. The bridge caters for ships of 47,000 dead weight tonnes, a horizontal clearance of 100 metres and vertical clearance of 43 metres.

Guyana this year has allocated US$23 million towards the construction of the bridge which could cost at least US$300 million.

President Irfaan Ali said on his Facebook page that discussions between himself and the Surinamese Foreign Minister also focussed collaboration with Suriname to resolve issues affecting fisherfolk, improving the efficiency of the Guyana–Suriname ferry system, and exploring joint investment opportunities.