On behalf of the United States of America, I want to congratulate President Santokhi on his inauguration today. Indeed, congratulations are due to all the people of the Republic of Suriname today — the peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of a functioning democracy. Suriname is demonstrating to the world today the strength of its democracy in spite of challenges of COVID-19.
We stand ready to work with President Santokhi and his administration on a common goal of prosperity and stability in our nations and in the region. We will work to help Suriname, expand U.S. and Surinamese business ties, and to assist Suriname’s continued development toward a prosperous future for its citizens. We will continue to develop our people-to-people ties by ensuring educational and cultural exchanges expand Suriname’s international networks. We will assist the new government as it takes the steps needed to complete the National Risk Assessment that is vital to building confidence in Suriname’s banking sector and facilitate Suriname’s ability to engage in the international financial arena.
There is no way to gloss over that the current economic situation in Suriname is dire and that the pandemic is stretching scarce resources and threatening lives and livelihoods around the world. The issues facing President Santokhi and his team are immense and cannot be quickly solved. As friends of Suriname, the U.S. pledges to work with the government and civil society to move as quickly as possible toward resolution.
