President Murmu meets Suriname counterpart, discusses ways to deepen bilateral cooperation

President Droupadi Murmu met her Suriname counterpart Chandrikapersad Santokhi on Monday and they discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in several areas including defence, agriculture, IT and capacity building.

Murmu, who arrived in Suriname on Sunday on a three-day state visit – her first since assuming office in July last year, received a warm welcome from President Santokhi at the Presidential palace here.

“Imparting fresh momentum to India-Suriname multifaceted cooperation. President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn & President @CSantokhi discussed ways to deepen India-Suriname partnership,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

“Both the Leaders held delegation level talks covering multiple areas of bilateral cooperation including defence, agriculture, IT and capacity building,” he added.

In a special gesture, President Santokhi received President Murmu at the airport with full state honours on Sunday.

Santokhi was in India in January this year as a guest of honour for the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and had met Murmu.

In Suriname, President Murmu will also meet a cross-section of the Indian diaspora and be the chief guest at celebrations to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in the South American nation.

The first ship carrying 452 Indian labourers arrived in Suriname’s capital Paramaribo on June 5, 1873. Most of the labourers hailed from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The Indians, who arrived in Suriname as contract labourers for plantations, have maintained their connection with their roots in India.

“While fully assimilating with the local culture, they continued to cherish, uphold and pass down from one generation to another their traditions, rites and rituals, cuisine, language, and folklore and have made a significant contribution in all spheres to the sustainable development of Suriname,” said the Indian embassy in Suriname.

It said Suriname also has the distinction of being the most prominent foreign country in the world in the field of promotion of the Hindi language. The World Hindi Conference 2003 was held in Paramaribo.

The president will be in Suriname till June 6 and visit places of historical and cultural importance. Her visit to the South American country is part of her two-nation tour that will also take her to Serbia.