President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday delivered remarks at the funeral service for former Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, reflecting on the strong bond they shared as regional leaders and their mutual commitment to deepening bilateral relations between their two countries.
The Guyanese leader also used the occasion to subtly address the issue of the Corentyne River, noting that former President Santokhi viewed the shared waterway as a passage of unity between the two countries, not as a border for discord.
“He believed that the fortunes of our two lands were braided together…He often spoke of the river not as a line between us but as a vein connecting two hearts, a passage of unity, not a border for discord,” President Ali expressed.
Suriname recently instituted fees for the use of the Corentyne River, which borders the two country – a move which local stakeholders say will significantly impact economic activities in Guyana, especially in the Berbice region.
Guyana has already formally protested the decision, with President Ali previously expressing that “measures of this nature risk creating unnecessary barriers to commerce and could undermine the confidence of businesses that rely on predictable and fair operating conditions.”
President Ali had also previously reminded the Government of Suriname that, “Surinamese businesses and investors have long benefited from opportunities within our economy, where they have operated without discrimination or undue restriction. This openness has been a cornerstone of our engagement.”
At the funeral service, the Guyanese Head of State emphasised that former President Santokhi understood this.
“Chandrikapersad Santokhi knew that true partnership between States must live in and through people, markets, in the small boats traversing the river that links us. He encouraged our private sectors to weave together, understanding that growth is not only shaped in halls of power but forged along river banks, in the patient work of hands. He dreamed of bridges, born of steel and concrete, others of trust that would bind Guyana and Suriname closer, and always to return to the simple and aching truth, that what we build must rest on fairness and neutral care,” President Ali reflected.
“He reminded us that small States standing shoulder to shoulder can reach what neither can ever touch alone. He called for sure and mutually beneficial ties and he lived by that measure in every conversation, every handshake and every moment of resolve,” the Guyanese President added.
