India, Suriname mark 50 years of ties as Jaishankar hails ‘family’ bond

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India sees Suriname “not as a distant partner” but as “family”, as the two countries mark 50 years of diplomatic relations. Writing in the Times of Suriname newspaper ahead of his visit to the country on Wednesday, Jaishankar said ties had expanded into a “robust, multifaceted engagement” covering infrastructure, trade, training and cultural links. He said India and Suriname had strengthened cooperation through high-level exchanges, including a visit by former Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi to India in 2023 for a gathering of the Indian diaspora, followed by a visit to Suriname by Indian President Droupadi Murmu later that year. Jaishankar said several projects in Suriname were completed through Indian Lines of Credit, including a 161 KV electrical transmission line from the industrial port city of Paranam to capital city Paramaribo, water pumping stations, construction machinery, power infrastructure upgrades and the supply and maintenance of three Chetak helicopters.

India has also supplied 425 metric tonnes of food items worth USD 10 million to Suriname last year to help with its food security, he wrote. The minister said India-backed grant projects in Suriname included flood warning systems, a stadium and community initiatives linked to education, sport and technical training. Jaishankar also said he would attend the commissioning of a passion fruit processing and packaging unit funded by an Indian grant. “This will empower local farmers and build Suriname’s self-reliance through value-added industry,” he wrote. At the international level, Jaishankar said India and Suriname shared similar positions on issues including reform of the United Nations Security Council. He also highlighted Suriname’s participation in India-backed initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance and the International Big Cat Alliance. Despite the geographical distance between the two countries, Jaishankar said they remained connected through a shared history dating back to the arrival of Indians aboard the ship Lalla Rookh in 1873. He said the community has become an integral part of Suriname’s society while preserving cultural traditions including Sarnami Hindustani language, Baithak music and festivals such as Diwali and Phagwa. “Suriname has also played an important role in promoting Hindi language globally,” he wrote, noting that the country hosted the World Hindi Conference in Paramaribo in 2003. “In Suriname, India does not see a distant partner; India sees family,” Jaishankar wrote.