Suriname and Indonesia to deepen bilateral ties

Suriname’s Foreign Affairs (BUZA) Minister Yldiz PollackBeighle, on December 6 had a meeting with her Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, at the 11th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) in Bali, Indonesia. The ministers from both nations reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at strengthening the partnerships between Suriname and Indonesia. Both countries will intensify the political, technical and economic collaboration. They will also focus on trade, agriculture, stockbreeding, fisheries, tourism, infrastructure, transport, the bank system and opportunities for direct foreign investments. Both ministers agreed to sign an agreement aimed at scrapping the visa requirement at a later date. Suriname and Indonesia agreed that removing this barrier will have a positive impact on the connectivity, tourism and economic development of both countries. According to Antara News, Indonesia has asked Suriname for its support in approaching the Caribbean Community (Caricom). Suriname will reportedly be the center of activity in the Caricom region after the establishment of a free trade agreement between Indonesia and the Caricom. In addition to meeting with the minister of Foreign Affairs of Suriname, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno also held bilateral meetings with representatives of seven other countries namely Australia, Papua New Guinea, Venezuela, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam on the sidelines of the 2018 BDF.