Suriname Head of State, President Chandrikapersad Santokhi says he believes the factors affecting the development of the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country are not economic in nature and called for greater collaboration among stakeholders.
“I do know that our standards and values or the absence of thinking and acting in unity and togetherness are partly to blame for this,” President Santokhi is quoted as saying during a recent official address.
President Santokhi also reportedly said that Guyana’s neighbour “needed a new philosophy based on sustainable prosperity, equal opportunities and ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking and acting, while trusting in your own abilities.”
Both Suriname and Guyana have burst into the international spotlight in recent years on account of significant oil discoveries in their respective territorial waters. The near simultaneous oil discoveries have resulted in an upsurge of diplomatic relations between the two countries, a long-standing dispute over fishing rights in the Corentyne River which they share, notwithstanding.
In recent months there have been a flurry of high-level visits between the two countries including presidential visits to the respective capitals.
