Serbia and Suriname are friends and partners, Foreign Ministers agree

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic received today the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and International Cooperation of the Republic of Suriname, Albert Ramchand Ramdin, who is on an official visit to Belgrade.

In the cordial talks, both sides expressed satisfaction with the high level of development of the traditionally friendly bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, as well as of mutual respect and shared understanding, solidarity and support.

"Suriname is a very friendly and fraternal country to us", Minister Dacic said at the press conference after the meeting, recalling that Suriname had revoked its recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo, and that it was one of the first among 28 countries to do so.

Dacic expressed immense gratitude to Suriname for respecting the territorial integrity of Serbia, as well as for supporting our interests when it comes to the requests of the so-called Kosovo for admission to UNESCO and Interpol, where, in both cases, Suriname voted against, which was of capital importance for us. He also thanked Suriname for supporting our bid to host the international world exhibition EXPO 2027.

"We are ready to develop our cooperation at the top level and in all areas, which means bilaterally when it comes to visits at the highest level, by forming a joint committee or a commission for cooperation, by holding political consultations between our two ministries", Dacic emphasized.

In the talks, numerous opportunities for the further promotion of bilateral cooperation were discussed. In this context, the interlocutors expressed mutual willingness to strengthen political dialogue and economic ties, as well as cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism, education, youth, sports and information technologies.

"I am very glad that this visit is taking place and I want to say that we will certainly have even more intensive contacts between our countries in the coming period", Minister Dacic concluded.

Minister Ramdin emphasized that Suriname respected the territorial integrity of Serbia and that it would continue to lend support to our country on this issue. He thanked the Serbian Government and the Serbian people for accepting Surinamese students attending universities in Serbia through the "World in Serbia" program and added that he saw the scholarship program as very functional.

"We will be an oil and gas producer in the next few years, and I see great investment opportunities for Serbian companies. I also see great opportunities for cooperation in the field of agriculture as well", Minister Ramdin said.

The Foreign Minister of Suriname emphasized that Serbia was a natural partner for his country, stressing the importance of cooperation in such a globalized world.