-In the wake of protest note over New River Triangle
In the wake of a protest from Suriname over this country’s New River Triangle, Foreign Minister Hugh Todd met yesterday with Paramaribo’s envoy here Liselle Blankendal.
The statement that followed the meeting did not refer to Friday’s summoning of Guyana’s Ambassador in Paramaraibo, Virjanand Depoo by Suriname’s Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin to lodge the protest over this country’s plans for an airstrip in the New River Triangle. Suriname claims the area but it is recognized internationally as part of Guyana.
The statement yesterday said that during the meeting, Todd outlined Guy-ana’s national policy framework that “addresses the provision of social services including education and healthcare and existing infrastructure to facilitate humanitarian support and other emergency relief services, to remote communities within Guyana’s territory”.
The statement said that the Minister and Ambassador also discussed advancing the bilateral cooperation agenda through the Strategic Dialogue Cooperation Platform (SDCP) including the bridging of the Corentyne River and preparations for the convening of a Meeting of the Border Commission between Guyana and Suriname.
The next SDCP between the two countries is scheduled to take place in February 2025.
The statement pointed out that the MoU establishing the SDCP was signed by Guyana and Suriname during a Presidential visit to Paramaribo in November 2020 with the aim of enhancing cooperation through the establishment of several working groups on a number of areas, including infrastructure, agriculture, security, health, trade and the environment.
The diplomatic row apparently flared up over remarks by President Irfaan Ali during a visit on Friday to the hinterland where he spoke about the airstrip.
He said: “Now, I want to say, before I get back to this community itself, as I’m on the topic of the engineering corps. Currently, they are completing the Kaieteur airstrip. About 500 feet remain to be completed, and we are hoping to have that delivered by March next year. That will not only boost tourism, but that will ensure we will have a safe landing space there in Kaieteur. From here, they’re going to go to another important border location in Kaikan, and we want that airstrip to be delivered by June, so they have to put everything in place. Liverpool, I hope you pack your bag already, because we have to get Kaikan delivered by June, and there are two airstrips that we’re going to add to the portfolio of the engineering corps. That is Camp Jaguar (in New River Triangle), which is important for your own operation, and Orinduik airstrip. So those two, those two airstrips immediately will be added, and work must commence before the end of the year. The materials must be procured, and work must commence on these airstrips before the end of the year”.
Reuters on Friday said that Ramdin also complained that a school is to be built in the area. He asserted that the planned developments violate agreements made in 1970.
As relations between Guyana and Suriname bloomed in recent years there has been little mention of the contention over the New River Triangle. Last week, Suriname hosted a 49th independence anniversary celebration in Georgetown and there wasn’t the slightest hint of tensions. Suriname’s Presi-dent Chandrikapersad Santokhi and Ramdin were recently here for a series of engagements including the CARICOM-India Summit.
On August 19, 1969, a military unit of the Guyana Defence Force during a routine air patrol found armed Surinamese engaged in the construction of an airstrip in the New River Triangle. The GDF unit confronted the intruders who offered armed resistance and then fled unharmed.
Guyana and Suriname have tussled for decades over three separate border issues: the offshore maritime zone which was largely resolved in this country’s favour at the International Law of the Sea Tribunal, control of the Corentyne River which is unresolved and over the New River Triangle which is internationally recognised as belonging to Guyana.