Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is welcomed in Paramaribo, Suriname on his arrival. Photo: @DrSJaishankar/X via PTI
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India sees Suriname “not as a distant partner” but as a “family” as the two countries commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations.
Ahead of his visit to the country on Wednesday (May 6, 2026), Mr Jaishankar said in the Times of Suriname newspaper that ties had expanded into a “robust, multifaceted engagement” involving infrastructure, trade, training and cultural ties.
He said India and Suriname have strengthened cooperation through high-level exchanges, including former Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi’s visit to India in 2023 for a meeting of the Indian diaspora, followed later that year by Indian President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to Suriname.
Jaishankar said several projects in Suriname have been completed through Indian credit lines, including a 161 KV power transmission line from the industrial port city of Paranam to the capital city of Paramaribo, water pumping stations, construction machinery, upgrading of power infrastructure and supply and maintenance of three Chetak helicopters.
India also delivered 425 metric tons of food worth $10 million to Suriname last year to help with its food security, he wrote.
The minister said the grant projects supported by India in Suriname included flood warning systems, a stadium and community initiatives related to education, sports and technical training.
Mr. Jaishankar also said that 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-sufficiency through value-added industries,” he wrote.
Internationally, Mr Jaishankar said India and Suriname shared similar positions on issues including UN Security Council reform.
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, Mr Jaishankar said they remained linked through a shared history that dates back to the arrival of Indians aboard the ship Lalla Rookh in 1873.
He said the community has become an integral part of Surinamese society while maintaining cultural traditions including Hindustani Sarnami, Baithak music and festivals such as Diwali and Phagwa.
“Suriname also played an important role in the worldwide promotion of Hindi,” 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 a family,” Mr Jaishankar wrote.
Published – May 6, 2026 12:22 PM IST
